A Cross and Gospel Belonging to the Holy Confessor Nicholas (Mogilevsky) Donated to the Museum of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan

January 30, 2025. Almaty. The Church-Historical Museum of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, established in 2015 at the initiative and with the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, continues to be enriched with valuable exhibits.

The Head of the Metropolitan District presented to M.L. Ivashko, the keeper of antiquities of the Astana and Almaty Diocese, a silver service cross and a Gospel that belonged to the Holy Confessor Nicholas (Mogilevsky).

The edition of the Holy Scriptures, printed in 1861 at the Synodal Printing House in Saint Petersburg, is in Church Slavonic and Russian and was the personal property of the saint. The Holy Gospel, bound in velvet, is adorned with miniature painted icons on mother-of-pearl, a gilded edge, and brass clasps.

According to contemporaries, the service cross was kept in the saint’s cell, where he received the Sacrament of Confession from his spiritual children. The cross bears engravings of hallmarks with the initials of the master jewelers who crafted it: S.S., A.V., and M.S.

Previously, the museum collection was enriched with wall clocks, diary entries, a mitre, prayer beads, and personal belongings of the Holy Confessor Nicholas (Mogilevsky).