23 Facts About Roerich Pact

Treaty on the Protection of Artistic and Scientific Institutions and Historic Monuments or Roerich Pact is an inter-American treaty.

The most important idea of the Roerich Pact is the legal recognition that the defense of cultural objects is more important than the use or destruction of that culture for military purposes, and the protection of culture always has precedence over any military necessity.

Russian painter and philosopher Nicholas Roerich initiated the modern movement for the defense of cultural objects, for the idea of "Peace of Civilizations".

Besides the recognition as one of the greatest Russian painters, Roerich's most notable achievement during his lifetime was the Roerich Pact signed on 15 April 1935 by the representatives of American states in the Oval Office of the White House.

Nicholas Roerich Pact was born on 9 October 9,1874, in St Petersburg.

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Roerich Pact's parents encouraged him to study law, but seeing their son's inclination for painting, they allowed him to study both, which he did with much success.

In 1900, Roerich Pact went to Paris to take lessons from Fernand Cormon, the well known tutor of Van Gogh and Toulouse-Lautrec.

Roerich Pact worked as stage and costume designer for several operas and ballets by Maurice Maeterlinck and Igor Stravinsky, premiered in St Petersburg.

In 1917, Roerich Pact went to live near a lake in Finland, to strengthen his health.

Presently, the Roerich Pact Museum is located in Manhattan, at the corner of 107th Street and Riverside Drive.

Roerich Pact, expressing his feelings for the state of their protection, in his article "Along the old times" : "Last summer I had an occasion to see many our true antique and little love to it".

In 1904, Roerich Pact gave a report to the Emperor's Russian Archeological Society about the sad state of historical monuments and the necessity to take prompt actions to protect them.

Roerich Pact wrote several articles dedicated to the poor state of the churches.

In 1914, Roerich Pact appealed to the high command of the Imperial Russian Army, as well as the governments of the United States and France with an idea of conclusion of an international agreement aimed on the protection of cultural values during armed conflicts.

In 1915, Roerich Pact wrote a report for Russian Emperor Nicholas II and Great Prince Nicholas Nikolayevich containing an appeal to make real state measures for national protection of cultural values.

Simultaneously Roerich Pact proposed a distinctive sign to identify the objects that are in need of protection – the Banner of Peace.

Ultimately, the Roerich Pact was signed by 21 states in the Americas and was ratified by ten of them.

Ideas of Roerich Pact still are not implemented in the international law, especially its principle of the almost unlimited preference of the preservation of cultural values to the military necessity.

Roerich Pact came across numerous later examples in various parts of the world, and knew that it represented a deep and sophisticated understanding of the triune nature of existence.

Roerich Pact described the circle as representing the eternity of time, encompassing the past, present, and future.

Roerich Pact sign was superseded by the distinctive marking of cultural property as defined by the Hague Convention of 1954.

However, the emblem of the Roerich Pact is still a valid protective sign in the relations between the ten states which are bound by the Pact.

Consequently, the Roerich Pact has not only legal but philosophic, enlightening, and evolutional significance since it reflects an idea of cultural protection in its many manifestations.