Event: Russia - Moscow

Andrei Rublev Museum of Early Russian Art

When:	Daily; not Wed
Where:	Andrei Rublev Museum of Early Russian Art
Costs:	Entry to the grounds is free; tickets are required for exhibitions
Opening Hours:	Thu-Tue 11am-5pm; closed last Fri of each month

Housed in the Andronikov Monastery, the Andrei Rublev Museum of Early Russian Art was established in 1960 in honour of the 600th anniversary of the artist's birth. The collection includes 15th-century icons from the school of Rublev, 17th-century icons from Novgorod, 18th-century paintings from the Donskoy Monastery and various religious frescoes.

The life of the monk and icon painter Andrei Rublev is nearly as dark and mysterious as the times in which he lived. It is thought that he was born around 1360, during a period known as the Time of Troubles, when the people of Rus faced invading Tartar armies.

Rublev started as an apprentice at the workshop of the Trinity Monastery of St Sergei before becoming an assistant to Theophanes the Greek. His greatest achievements include his work on Zvenigorod Cathedral, the Cathedral of the Assumption in the Kremlin and the Old Testament Trinity, which is to be found in St Sergei.

Rublev was trained in the Byzantine tradition, which is characterised by a more expressionistic style, to which he added his own distinctly Russian element, thus distinguishing his work from that of his predecessors.

The museum and its grounds include plenty to explore, but opening times are inconsistent. If it is open, the monastery's working Spassky Cathedral, thought to be the oldest building in Moscow, is worth visiting as it bears traces of murals believed to have been painted by Rublev himself.

If you want a taste of 15th-century Russia before you visit, Tarkovsky's film Andrei Rublev is an excellent insight into the spirit of the times.`