The Museum of russian icon is the largest in Russia private museum of the Orthodox Christian with more than 4000 museum pieces. Founded by Mikhail Abramov, this art project resurrects one of the best traditions of the Russian patronage which laid the foundation for collecting, studying and authenticating the works of the Russian icon painting. At the present day the Museum of Russian Icon is the only private collection that is actually fully open to public. The collection is also unique in terms of its scope and span. It includes the works of the most important art centers of the Eastern Church art: from Antique and Late Roman samples which laid the foundation for the Byzantine graphic art; from early Christian and proper Byzantine antiquities of the VI - XIV centuries, some of which have no matches even in the rich collections of state museums; from Greek and Post-Byzantine monuments; from works of Ethiopian culture - and to Russian icon painting which makes up the core of the collection and embraces a widest period of time from the XIV to early XX century