Russia Cristiana

Russia Cristiana is an Italian Catholic association founded in 1957 by Father Romano Scalfi together with Msgr. Enrico Rodolfo Galbiati, Betty Ambiveri, Father Pietro Modesto, Father Nilo Cadonna, Don Adolfo Asnaghi and Don Armando Bisesti. Its stated aims are to make the West more aware of the spiritual, cultural and liturgical tradition of Russian Orthodoxy, to encourage ecumenical dialogue through lived experience, and to contribute to the presence of Christians in Russia. These goals have been pursued through different means during the Soviet regime, the perestroika years and the post-communist period. Over the decades the organisation has taken on several legal and operational forms. Ecclesiastically it is a public Association of the faithful; for its cultural and scientific work it is known as the Fondazione Russia Cristiana E.T.S.; its publishing arm is "La Casa di Matriona" (books, a magazine and, since 2016, the news portal La Nuova Europa); and in the field of iconography it inspired the founding of the association "La Scuola di Seriate". Its operational seat is Villa Ambiveri in Seriate, near Bergamo, made available to Father Scalfi in 1957 by Betty Ambiveri, a prominent figure in Bergamasque society. The legal seat is in Milan. Russia Cristiana runs the Betty Ambiveri library at Villa Ambiveri, which holds over 30,000 volumes and a substantial collection of periodicals, a photo archive and a data archive on the former Soviet Union. In 2004 it opened the "Biblioteca dello Spirito" in central Moscow, a bookshop and cultural centre for dialogue with the Orthodox Church. It organises annual conferences since 1997 and exhibitions on icons, Russian writers, philosophers, the avant-garde, dissent, martyrs and Russian emigration. It also offers itineraries in Russia and the Christian East to introduce travellers to art treasures and places of martyrdom. Its periodical, launched in the 1960s as a bimonthly that first introduced samizdat to Italy, became L'Altra Europa in 1985 and La Nuova Europa in 1992. The association is close to the Communion and Liberation movement, though other groups inspired by its founders have followed different paths. It remains active, publishing, organising webinars and conferences, and running fundraising campaigns.

Russia Cristiana was founded in 1957 by a group including Father Romano Scalfi, Msgr. Enrico Rodolfo Galbiati, Betty Ambiveri, Father Pietro Modesto, Father Nilo Cadonna, Don Adolfo Asnaghi and Don Armando Bisesti. Although Father Scalfi is often presented as the sole founder, he himself insisted that Galbiati, Modesto, Cadonna and Asnaghi should be considered co-founders. The association was established with the aim of making the West more aware of the richness of the spiritual, cultural and liturgical tradition of Russian Orthodoxy, encouraging ecumenical dialogue through contact between living experiences, and contributing to the Christian presence in Russia. Its operational seat, Villa Ambiveri in Seriate near Bergamo, was made available to Father Scalfi in 1957 by Betty Ambiveri, a prominent figure in Bergamasque society, who later bequeathed it to the organisation; the property was disputed by her family in court towards the end of the 1970s. During the Soviet regime, Russia Cristiana worked to keep knowledge of Russian religious life alive in the West. In the 1960s its bimonthly magazine introduced samizdat — clandestine publishing that expressed alternative culture and opposition to totalitarianism — to Italy for the first time. In 1985 the magazine was renamed L'Altra Europa, broadening its focus to the whole East. After the changes of 1989 and the new needs of the period, in 1992 it became La Nuova Europa, a place of debate on the social, cultural and religious problems of the continent. Since 2016 it has also operated as an information portal. The association became close to the Catholic ecclesial movement Communion and Liberation. From Russia Cristiana other groups of faithful fascinated by Eastern Christian traditions, especially Russian, but with different inspiration and not linked to Communion and Liberation, were born, such as the Centro Russia Ecumenica, the Centro Ecumenico italo-russo Vladimir Solov'ev and the Associazione Russia Cristiana San Vladimir, all founded or inspired by co-founder Father Nilo Cadonna. Over the years Russia Cristiana organised itself according to its different fields of activity. Ecclesiastically it is a public Association of the faithful; for cultural and scientific activity it is the Fondazione Russia Cristiana E.T.S.; its publishing instrument is "La Casa di Matriona" (books, magazine and, since 2016, the news portal La Nuova Europa); and in iconography it gave rise to the association "La Scuola di Seriate". At Villa Ambiveri it maintains the Betty Ambiveri library, which holds over 30,000 volumes and a substantial collection of periodicals, a photo archive and a data archive on the former Soviet Union. The library, included in the list of cultural institutions and libraries of Lombardy, was formed from the 1950s through donations of private book collections and later expanded with acquisitions of books in Russian published in the USSR and the West, and books on Russia in Italian and major European languages; it is one of the most complete collections on Russia and the former Soviet Union in Italy. In 2004 Russia Cristiana opened the "Biblioteca dello Spirito" in central Moscow, a large space used as a bookshop and cultural centre to deepen dialogue with the Orthodox Church and offer an ecumenical Christian educational proposal. Since 1997, in collaboration with European academic and university institutions, state bodies and authoritative cultural figures, it has promoted annual conferences to explore historical and cultural phenomena and events that had been left in the shadows, offering reflection from both Eastern and Western perspectives. Since the 1980s it has promoted exhibitions on major themes of the art world, particularly Byzantine and Russian icons, great writers (Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Bulgakov, Solzhenitsyn), philosophers (Solovyov, Berdyaev, Florensky), and themes of the avant-garde, dissent, martyrs and Russian emigration. It also offers itineraries in Russia and the Christian East to introduce tourists to art treasures and places of martyrdom. The celebration of the Catholic liturgy according to the Byzantine-Slavic rite, historically used mainly by the Orthodox Churches, is intended as a gesture of memory and communion with the Church of the East, though it has sometimes provoked contrasting reactions from Orthodox Churches. In recent years Russia Cristiana has continued its activities, including webinars (such as one on Mother Maria Skobtsova), publications (such as the letters of Father Romano Scalfi), and fundraising campaigns. In November 2025 it launched its 2025-2026 fundraising campaign in Seriate with an appeal titled 'Riaccendere la speranza' (Rekindle hope). An international conference, 'Dire Cristo in tempi di guerra' (Speaking of Christ in times of war), is scheduled for 8-10 May 2026 at Villa Ambiveri.

• 2026

  International conference 'Dire Cristo in tempi di guerra' scheduled for 8-10 May at Villa Ambiveri.

• 2025

  2025-2026 fundraising campaign launched in Seriate.

• 2016

  La Nuova Europa also becomes an information portal.

• 2004

  Biblioteca dello Spirito opened in central Moscow.

• 1997

  Annual conferences initiated in collaboration with European academic institutions.

• 1992

  Periodical becomes La Nuova Europa.

• 1985

  Magazine renamed L'Altra Europa, broadening focus to the whole East.

• 1960

  Bimonthly magazine introduced samizdat to Italy for the first time.

• 1957

  Russia Cristiana founded by Father Romano Scalfi and co-founders; Villa Ambiveri made available by Betty Ambiveri.

A Catholic cultural and ecumenical association dedicated to Russian Orthodoxy and Eastern Christianity, operating through publishing, libraries, exhibitions, conferences and dialogue initiatives.

• La Casa di Matriona publishing house

  Publishes texts on the literary, religious, philosophical and artistic tradition of Russia and Eastern Europe, and an annual book-calendar with reproductions of Byzantine and Russian painting.

• La Nuova Europa

  Periodical and news portal on social, cultural and religious issues of Europe, with contributions from many European countries.

• Betty Ambiveri Library

  Library with over 30,000 volumes, periodicals, photo archive and data archive on the former Soviet Union.

• Biblioteca dello Spirito

  Bookshop and cultural centre in central Moscow opened in 2004.

• La Scuola di Seriate

  Association for iconography inspired by Russia Cristiana.

1. 1Russia Cristiana official websiterussiacristiana.org
2. 2About us • RUSSIA CRISTIANArussiacristiana.org
3. 3Chi siamo • RUSSIA CRISTIANArussiacristiana.org
4. 4Russia cristiana - Wikidatawikidata.org
5. 5Russia cristiana - Wikipedia (Italian)it.wikipedia.org