Three-dimensional models of medieval stone crosses used as a model for displaying artifacts from “inaccessible” places

Medieval stone crosses widespread on the territory of the Novgorod Land in XII–XVI centuries are the monuments that are quite difficult to study. This is due, firstly, to the specifics of their location – few crosses have survived in rather remote villages or forests mostly in Leningrad, Novgorod and Pskov regions. In addition, since the end of the XIX century, stone crosses have been entering the collections of regional and central museums; most of them are not published. By the beginning of the XXI century, crosses that used to belong to one group (for example, coming from the village of Voynosolovo) could be divided – some of them being stored in situ, and some of them being a part of the collection at three or four different museums.

In 2019 the State Hermitage Museum expedition together with the Siberian Federal University started to publish 3D models of the crosses studied during fieldwork on the Hermitage Electronic Encyclopedia website. We also publish crosses which are stored as closed collections. This allows us not only to show qualitative images of artifacts which are difficult to access but also to reconstruct fragmented groups within virtual space.

Keywords: medieval stone crosses, archaeology of Novgorod Land, ancient Russian art, ethnography, museum collections

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