Pilgrim Treasures at the Hermitage.

1 Oct 2005-26 Mar 2006. This unusual exhibition at the Hermitage Museum in Amsterdam presents almost 200 art treasures brought back as souvenirs from the sanctuaries in the Holy Land. On loan from the Hermitage Museum in St Petersberg, these precious artefacts date from the Byzantine era up to the early 20th century. Among the exhibits from the early period are oil lamps and bronze crosses as well as relics purported to contain fragments of the True Cross. Some of the artefacts display a mixture of Christian and Islamic iconography from the time when the Holy Land was under Islamic rule. The rare reliquaries and icons from the Byzantine age provide an insight into eastern Christianity, which formed the foundations of the Russian Orthodox Church. Also included in the exhibition are intricately carved mother-of-pearl scenes and fishbone icons brought back by pilgrims in the 18th and 19th centuries. Admission 6, under 16s free. Mon-Sun 10.00-17.00. The Hermitage is at 14 Nieuwe Herengracht Amsterdam. Fr