State Hermitage Museum opens Urbi et Orbi on 14 November
Published on 11/14/2026 at 11:12 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWSRome exhibition and museum setting
- Urbi et Orbi opened at the Small Hermitage Manege on 14 November 2026.
- More than 400 exhibits connect ancient Rome with Baroque Rome in two sections.
- The Hermitage collection began in 1764 after Catherine the Great acquired 317 paintings.
- The exhibition continues until 14 March 2027 in Saint Petersburg.
The State Hermitage Museum (Ermitazh) in Saint Petersburg opened the Urbi et Orbi exhibition on 14 November 2026, placing more than 400 objects about ancient and Baroque Rome in the Small Hermitage Manege. The exhibition gives visitors in Russia a new temporary display centred on how the Eternal City was represented between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries.
The show is part of the museum's 2026 programme and provides a current reason to visit the historic complex. Its opening date falls within the present travel period, while the exhibition remains available until 14 March 2027.
Urbi et Orbi opens at the Small Hermitage Manege
Urbi et Orbi: Baroque Rome and Ancient Rome opened on 14 November 2026 in the Manege of the Small Hermitage. A report on the opening describes the exhibition as a large-scale project about the image of Rome from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century and places it within the Hermitage complex in Saint Petersburg. The opening report for 14 November records the date and venue together.
The exhibition is divided into two broad themes. One addresses ceremonial Rome, papal rituals and palaces; the other presents the city as a place of artists and independent thought. The material includes ancient sculpture, Renaissance frescoes, paintings by artists influenced by Caravaggio, terracotta sketches by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and architectural drawings by Francesco Borromini. The organisers also created a Roman Baroque setting for the Manege, whose brick vaults are used as part of the exhibition environment.
Rome in the museum founded by Catherine the Great
The Rome exhibition sits within a museum whose collection began in 1764, when Catherine the Great acquired 317 paintings from Berlin merchant Johann Ernst Gotzkowsky. The collection later expanded through purchases and archaeological discoveries, and the museum now occupies five interconnected buildings on the Palace Embankment. The museum history and building record identifies the Winter Palace, Small Hermitage, Old Hermitage, New Hermitage and Hermitage Theatre as parts of the complex.
The location shapes the exhibition's subject in a specific way. Visitors encounter interpretations of Rome inside a palace ensemble that developed across the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, rather than in a separate modern gallery. The Winter Palace was designed by Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli between 1754 and 1762, while the Small Hermitage was built between 1764 and 1769, linking the exhibition's Roman themes to the architecture surrounding it.
The exhibition continues through 14 March 2027
The exhibition remains on display until 14 March 2027, giving travellers several months to see the material after its opening on 14 November 2026. More than 400 exhibits provide the central practical detail, with the display combining sculpture, painting, drawing and architectural studies rather than focusing on one medium.
Visiting State Hermitage Museum: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- Urbi et Orbi opened on 14 November 2026 at the Manege of the Small Hermitage, within the Main Museum Complex.
- The exhibition remains the relevant special display through 14 March 2027 and presents more than 400 objects in two sections about Rome.
- The Main Museum Complex is on Palace Embankment in central Saint Petersburg, with Admiralteyskaya, Nevsky Prospekt and Gostiny Dvor named as nearby metro stations by the museum.
- Russian is the official language and the currency is the rouble. Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
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Frequently asked questions about State Hermitage Museum
When does Urbi et Orbi take place at the State Hermitage Museum?
Urbi et Orbi opened on 14 November 2026 and continues until 14 March 2027 at the Manege of the Small Hermitage.
What is the State Hermitage Museum?
It is a museum complex in Saint Petersburg whose collection began in 1764 and includes the Winter Palace and the Small Hermitage.
Where is the State Hermitage Museum and how do you get there?
The Main Museum Complex is on Palace Embankment in Saint Petersburg, with Admiralteyskaya, Nevsky Prospekt and Gostiny Dvor listed as nearby metro stations.
