From September 2 to 8, Irkutsk will host the third church and public exhibition forum Orthodox Rus dedicated to the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus.

From September 2 to 8, 2013, the III Church and Public Exhibition-Forum “Orthodox Rus” will take place in Irkutsk. The exhibition-forum is intended to promote the preservation of spiritual culture, the moral development of society, and the patriotic education of youth. The exhibition is part of the church and public exhibition project "Orthodox Rus," whose events, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, are held in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Perm, Krasnoyarsk, Rostov-on-Don, Veliky Novgorod, Samara, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, and Khabarovsk.
In 2013, the Exhibition-Forum is dedicated to the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus. In the greeting of Metropolitan Vadim of Irkutsk and Angarsk, it is noted that this date has not only important spiritual significance, but also state-forming significance.
Organizers: Irkutsk Metropolis, the Government of the Irkutsk Region, the Exhibition Association “RESTEC”.
Structure of the exhibition: exhibition display, spiritual and educational program, program “Ask a Priest a Question”.
Exhibition display. The exhibition is international in character and is held with the participation of more than 150 church and secular organizations from 7 countries: Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Greece, Montenegro, and the Holy Land. The geography of exhibitors from Russia is extensive: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vladimir, Volgograd, Ivanovo, Irkutsk, Kaluga, Kemerovo, Kostroma, Kursk, Leningrad, Nizhny Novgorod, Orenburg, Sverdlovsk, Smolensk, and Tver regions.
Representatives of monasteries, churches, Moscow publishing houses, jewelry and icon-painting workshops will come to the exhibition. Exhibitors will present church utensils, vestments, books, icons, jewelry, recordings of lectures, films, spiritual and classical music, arts and crafts, ceramics, souvenirs, and monastic handicrafts. Modern restoration technologies will be presented by craftsmen from St. Petersburg from the company “Finist”. Monasteries and peasant farms from Russia will bring honey, gingerbread, and medicinal herbs to Irkutsk.
Spiritual and educational program. In the central part of the exposition, the ministry and activities of the Irkutsk Metropolis will be presented, and Irkutsk priests will take part daily in the exhibition’s spiritual and educational program. In total, more than 40 events will take place, prepared by the Irkutsk Metropolis and the Government of the Irkutsk Region, with the participation of priests, cultural figures, teachers, publishers, musicians, folk craftsmen, students, and schoolchildren. At thematic meetings and “round tables,” important issues of spiritual life, upbringing, the preservation of family and folk traditions, mercy, charity, missionary work, teaching the basics of the Orthodox faith, spiritual education, and pedagogical practice will be discussed. As part of the program, there will be a concert program featuring the male choir of the Irkutsk Metropolis, children’s and student ensembles. A Orthodox sightseeing program will be organized for exhibition participants. Program “Ask a Priest a Question”. The program is organized for those who want to talk with priests and resolve difficult questions of spiritual, family, and personal life. The program takes place in 2 forms: a personal conversation with a priest (at the Metropolis stand) and conversations in the open conference hall about the Orthodox view of marriage, the experience of preparing for confession, and the Christian attitude toward illness and death.
At the official opening ceremony of the exhibition, the following will take part: the Head of the Irkutsk Metropolis, Metropolitan Vadim of Irkutsk and Angarsk, the leaders of the Government of the Irkutsk Region, and the management of the exhibition association “RESTEC”. The organizers expect not only residents of Irkutsk to attend the exhibition, but also pilgrims from remote areas of the Baikal region. According to experts, about 40,000 people will visit the exhibition.
Based on materials from www.restec.ru/holyrussia-irk