Photo Exhibit to Cast New Light on Old Believers
History will be made in Narva Castle on March 18 with the opening of the largest-ever photo exhibition on the life and culture of the Lake Peipsi region's Old Believers.
Titled simply "The Culture of Lake Peipsi Old Believers," the exhibit will include a total of 250 color photographs by four artists - Arvo Iho, Annika Haas, Birgit Püve and Age Peterson - all of whom have taken an interest in the 15,000-strong community in recent years.
Old Believers are a group that split off from the Russian Orthodox Church in protest of reforms made by its patriarch in the mid-1600s. Fleeing religious persecution in Russia, many of them established communities on the shores of Lake Peipsi roughly 300 years ago. Their descendents continue to follow strict religious practices and have a way of life that is distinct from the Estonian mainstream.
Most of the works in the Narva exhibition have been displayed in other shows on the international circuit over the past few years, but this will be the first time all will be included in the same event, rus.err.ee reported.
The exhibition runs through June 27.
Steve Roman