Suvorov Museum

Donations for its construction came from wide circles of the military and civilian community. The Tsar himself, who in 1898 ordered the opening of subscriptions throughout the Empire to raise funds for the creation of the museum, became the main donor and patron of the “monument temple” under construction. The Life Guards Preobrazhensky Regiment allocated a place for the museum - part of its parade ground on the corner of Kirochnaya and Tavricheskaya streets.

Both wings of the main facade are decorated with mosaic paintings created by mosaic artists N.E. Maslennikov and M.I. Zoshchenko (father of the famous Russian writer M.M. Zoshchenko) based on sketches by artists A.N. Popov (“Suvorov’s Crossing of the Alps”) and N.A. Shabunin (“Suvorov’s Departure for the Campaign of 1799”). Under the canopy of the central tower, crowned with a double-headed eagle, is the princely coat of arms of A.V. Suvorov. The entrance to the museum is designed in the form of an ancient Russian palace porch.

The grand opening and church consecration of the Suvorov Museum took place on the day of the 175th anniversary of the commander’s birth, November 13 (old style), 1904, in the presence of Emperor Nicholas II, representatives of the regiments in which Suvorov served and commanded (Preobrazhentsy, Semyonovtsy , Suzdal residents, Phanagorians, etc.), officials of the Academy of the General Staff, creators of the museum and descendants of the Generalissimo. In 1918, due to revolutionary events and the evacuation of the collection deep into Russia, the museum was closed and reopened only in 1951, but not as a memorial museum, but as a military historical museum.

In 1991, the museum was returned to its original status, and it became known as the State Memorial Museum of A.V. Suvorov.

From 1988 to 1998, the museum was closed for major renovations, during which it was possible to restore its interior using old photographs. A new exhibition was created, entirely dedicated to the great Russian commander. On May 8, 1998, the museum was reborn as a temple of Russian military glory and a memorial to Suvorov.

And in 2004, on the 100th anniversary of the museum, the “eagle” was returned to the main tower.

Today the museum conducts active exhibition work, publishes scientific collections “Suvorov Readings”, its exhibits are published in a number of catalogs of the latest major thematic exhibitions.

Basis of the museum collection
The collection of the Suvorov Museum was initially formed mainly through gifts from admirers of the commander’s memory. The museum's holdings are based on three large collections.

In 1900, Vladimir Vladimirovich Molostvov (1863 - ?), a descendant of Suvorov and the owner of the village of Konchanskoye, donated to the museum the original Suvorov Konchanskaya church with all the decorations and the commander’s awards stored in it, his telescope and even the first tombstone installed on Suvorov’s grave on the day funeral May 12, 1800. This is the museum's first important collection.

The second collection consists of many Suvorov documents donated to the museum by Emperor Nicholas II in 1902–1904, from courier passports of Sergeant Suvorov to draft letters about his arrival in St. Petersburg on April 23, 1800, including patents for ranks and letters of award of titles. By the way, Surikov’s famous painting “Suvorov’s Crossing of the Alps,” which is now in the collection of the Russian Museum, was also donated by the Emperor to the Suvorov Museum.

The third collection is the famous collection of the famous astronomer and admirer of Suvorov’s talent Vasily Pavlovich Engelhardt (1818 - 1915), who collected relics associated with the commander’s Swiss campaign. Thirteen boxes with a total weight of 955 kg were sent to the museum in 1902. This collection was called “Engelhardt’s Suvorov Collection.” It includes cannonballs, weapons and equipment found at battle sites, models of monuments erected in Switzerland, engraved portraits of Suvorov’s associates and opponents, samples of Alpine minerals and even a stuffed Alpine eagle. The most valuable component of this collection is an album of photographs documenting the path of Suvorov’s army a century after the campaign.