Nicholas Roerich Estate Museum in Izvara
Nicholas Roerich
Estate Museum
in Izvara
O.A. Cherkasova «Museum as the center of ecological education»

N.K. Roerich deliberately opposed creative life and destruction, love to all the living and pitilessness of ignorance.

Love to nature is linked with love and compassion to all the living. The genuine creativity is impossible without this love.

“A person who loves nature would never break a branch of a bush and could not offend a man” N.K.Roerich wrote.

The basis of N.K. Roerich’s concept towards nature was unseparate link of love to nature and people, that, in its turn, is connected with spiritual and moral human vision, belief in the Highest Sense of Reason which imposes true Culture.

“In fact, when it is said “Let deserts thrive” – not only sand deserts are implied, but deserts of human spirit as well. There is a complete analogy…” But how can one educate this love?

“Which words and explanations can impose care of nature and relatives on the people?” – he asked.

And answered: through communion to culture, education of culture.

“These most important circumstances occur only when people really get aware and firstly love…

Deserts will thrive in love”

It is the task of cognition which the museum activity on ecological education is devoted to.

“In every new village, in every hut in nature the issue of spirit should be deeply enrooted in whole life”

“… careful attitude to nature cannot be neither imposed nor suggested by force, only it can secretly enter the custom and become invisible outside, but the immutable impetus of the Creator”.

“… it is very smart to include archeologists in natural scientific expeditions, studying old data they help new openings”

“Nature would tell us many secrets of the origins”

“Now, in days of Armagedon, among confusion and obsession of hatred one should cognize genuine values. The nature seems to be inexhaustible but castrate of spirit, robot, mechanics of technocracy can pollute even the greatest spaces. None who cuts a tree would not think about planting a new one”

So, the main cognition means cooperation with nature, its touching in practical activity.


The system of N.K. Roerich’s views on nature is based on responsibility: “Human responsibility is great, the humanity should not be proud but should accept it sacredly. The constitution of the human being is essentially positive and creative, all the destructive moments are products of ignorance because it, this dark ignorance spoils mind, dries heart, pollutes and dries the whole planet”.

Thus, only changing the inner world man can change his attitude towards the surrounding world, nature and people. Whether we want or not but the world is helpless in front of planetary disasters if it exists without common culture, spiritual, ethic life principles, cognition of relevance of Christian commandments of peace and love as laws of cosmos, life, without education of children in the framework of these testaments. And then predictions of sacred books, whether the Bible or Veda will come true…”

Being not just an artist, but the scientist, analyzing trends of development of the modern civilization N.K.Roerich clearly understood that it is ignorance, lack of culture, uneducated conscience which pushes man towards committing crimes against nature which gives life to him: beginning from a tree cut in vain up to drying of the planet.


In this connection N.K.Roerich considered pedagogical, cultural and education task associated with understanding yourself as a part of nature, and the humanity, and your life goal as a deed, service to relatives, mercy to be the main in his life together with art.

“ Beginning from the very early years my work was artistic, educational and cultural” – he wrote.



Museum Address: 188414, Izvara Village, Volosovo District, Leningrad Region, Russia.
Phones: +7-813-73-73-273 (group tours); Phone/Fax +7-813-73-73-298 (general)
Museum Director: Cherkasova Olga Anatolievna E-mail: izvara@inbox.ru