On October 15-16, 2026, the XV Scientific Conference "The Trinity Sergius Lavra in the History, Culture, and Spiritual Life of Russia" was held at the Sergiev Posad Museum-Reserve. The participants presented 43 reports on the history of the monastery, its artistic treasures, archaeological discoveries and the preservation of monuments.
The conference gathered more than 80 people. Researchers from institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences, leading universities and museums of the country, representatives of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra and the Moscow Theological Academy participated in its work.
One of the main topics was the results of archaeological research conducted on the territory of the monastery and near its walls in 2014-2026. The staff of the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences told about the discovered fragments of an ancient water supply system, finds from the monastery Granary and military equipment from the time of the Polish-Lithuanian siege of 1608-1610. Some of the artifacts are already on display at the museum-reserve.
A number of reports were devoted to the work of the Commission for the Protection of Monuments of Art and Antiquity of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra and the first years of the museum's activity. The researchers also provided new information about the monastery's connections with church hierarchs, princely families, and affiliated monasteries, as well as its involvement in church construction in Sergiev Posad.
Special attention was paid to the artistic heritage of the Lavra: the study and attribution of icons, graphics, works of decorative and applied art, and numismatic collections.
Abstracts and a collection of materials from the previous meeting, held in 2024, were published for the conference. A scientific publication is also planned based on the results of the current readings.
The conference is held every two years as part of a joint project of the Museum-reserve, the Trinity-Sergius Lavra and the Moscow Theological Academy, launched in 1998.