Days of Russia in France opened with a ceremony to hand over the bust of Peter the Great to the French Academy of Sciences 
Automatic translate
On October 5, in Paris - at the Institute of France and at the Russian Spiritual and Cultural Orthodox Center - the opening ceremony of the Days of Russia in France was held with the inclusion of spiritual events.
Days of Russia in France started on October 5 at the Institute of France, where the ceremony of donating the bust of Peter the Great, made in the city of Carrara from the famous Italian marble on the basis of the original of the 18th century, to the French Academy took place. from the collection of the State Museum-Reserve "Peterhof". The ceremony was attended by the Chancellor of the Institute of France, the Permanent Secretary of the French Academy, Helene Carrer d’Ankos, the Permanent Secretary of the Academy of Sciences, Catherine Bresignac, the Deputy Minister of Culture of Russia and the initiator of many international Petrine programs, Alla Manilova, the general director of the Peterhof State Museum-Reserve Elena Kalnitskaya, Director of the D. S. Likhachev Foundation Alexander Kobak, Ambassador of Russia to France Alexander Orlov.
During the ceremony, Alla Manilova emphasized the significance of the event for Russian-French relations: “It is a great honor for us to be at the center of French thought today. It’s especially exciting for any person in Russia that today’s event is dedicated to Peter I. In April, for the first time outside Russia, we held the International Peter the Great Congress, dedicated to the 300th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Russia and France, then the State Hermitage Museum and Versailles opened the exhibition “Peter the Great. King in France. 1717 ”, and today we are finishing the“ Peter Year ”in France with the transfer of the bust of Peter I of the French Academy. It was Peter I who did everything to make Russia a great European power in the shortest historical moment. ”
The idea of creating a bust of Peter I and installing it in the building of the French Academy, of which the Russian emperor was unanimously elected in 1717, arose in April 2017. The bust was set in a prominent place - among the busts of other great academicians. During the ceremony, Director of the Peterhof Museum Plant Elena Kalnitskaya noted: “Such projects have been created for years, we managed to do this in just a few months, because we all wanted this, because we all love Peter I.” The creation of a replica of the bust was made possible thanks to the joint work of the Russian Ministry of Culture, the Russian Embassy in France, the Peterhof Museum and Museum. D. S. Likhachev with financial support from Rostec State Corporation.
The opening ceremony of the Days of Russia in France continued with the triumph of children’s art in the Russian Spiritual and Orthodox Orthodox Center: an exhibition of children’s drawings “The Soul of Russia” and a gala concert “Russian Souvenir”, during which young musical talents of Russia performed works by classics of Russia and Europe - S. Prokofiev, S. Rachmaninov, A. Vivaldi, F. Liszt, J. Rossini. The artistic director of the program is Oleg Weinstein, winner of international competitions.
Within the framework of the Days of Russia in France, for two months in Paris, there will be performances by the Moscow Synodal Choir, a concert by young opera singers at the Mariinsky Theater under the direction of Larisa Gergieva, a concert of classical music by the Embassy of Excellence at the St. Petersburg House of Music, and a performance by the St. Petersburg Puppet Theater them. E. S. Demmen, week of cinema spiritual, Russian-French conference “Christian Identity of Europe”, round table “The role of Russian emigration in maintaining spiritual ties between Russia and France in the XX-XXI centuries. ".
Days of Russia with the inclusion of spiritual events is a large-scale cultural and educational project organized by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation in close cooperation with the Russian Orthodox Church. Since 2010, the Days of Russia include a series of events reflecting the best achievements of Russian culture and at the same time the country’s richest spiritual heritage.