Prime Minister Vladimir Putin signs executive order No. 1171-r, dated July 15, 2010, transferring ownership of the 1875 Lutheran church in Samara to the St George Lutheran Evangelical Community
The order charges the Federal Services for Legislative Compliance Supervision in Cultural Heritage Protection with ensuring the church's proper use.
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The executive order represents the first time Russia has returned property of a religious nature to a religious community other than the Russian Orthodox Church, which has regained over a hundred churches and monasteries.
The transfer of the church in Samara follows an application by the parish in accordance with the Federal Law on Freedom of Conscience and on Religious Communities, Article 21, and decree No. 490 of the government of the Russian Federation, dated June 30, 2001 and entitled On the Procedure for the Transfer of Federally Owned Assets of a Religious Nature to Religious Organisations.
The church and two other buildings on its premises are recognised as a historical and cultural monument by the federal government. The church was built by the Evangelical Lutheran Council of Samara in the second half of the 19th century, but was closed in 1930 and transferred to the city for the use of local atheists' society. The St George Lutheran Evangelical community of Samara obtained free use of the church ensemble in 1999.
