The autobiographical book of the outstanding Moscow scientist G. K. Wagner, the author of 37 monographs on the history of medieval Russian art, is written not only as the story of his long life, which, like a drop of water, reflected almost the entire dramatic 20th century. Pictures of pre-revolutionary childhood, school years of the 20s, experiences of unjustified repression and creative efforts of the post-Gulag years are presented by the author de profundis (from the depths). G. K. Wagner, like A. Solzhenitsyn, O. Volkov, V. Shalamov, recorded the spiritual feat of ascent from the depths of the camp mines to the heights of scientific insights. The author focuses on the belief in the all-conquering power of friendship and love, which turns out to be stronger than death. Written in beautiful Russian, the book will be of interest not only to specialists - art critics, architects, historians and literary critics - but also to a wide range of readers.