The Museum of Russian Patriarchate was opened on August 1, 2013, in Arzamas, the birthplace of Patriarch Sergius Stragorodsky. It is located in the city magistrate building on Cathedral Square, in the historical center of the city.

The magistrate building, designed in the Baroque style of the late 18th century, is a monument of civil architecture and an object of cultural heritage of federal significance. It is the only administrative building of that time in the Nizhny Novgorod region and in the country that has been preserved in its original form.

The Museum of Russian Patriarchate is a unique project created jointly by the church and the state. Its exhibition is dedicated to the life and activities of the Patriarchs of Moscow and All Russia, such as Nikon and Sergius, natives of Nizhny Novgorod land, as well as the Patriarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church of the 20th and early 21st centuries: Alexy I, Pimen, Alexy II, and Kirill. The museum features authentic items of the Patriarchs and modern reconstructions.

The museum actively conducts tours and participates in city educational programs organized by the Nizhny Novgorod State Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve, municipal departments of education and culture, as well as the Arzamas Diocese. Pilgrimage groups visiting Arzamas on their way to Diveevo receive valuable information about the city, which has preserved its rich cultural and spiritual heritage.