VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
The Prime Minister arrived at the cathedral at midnight, when it was already full of parishioners.
By tradition, Vladimir Putin attends Orthodox Christmas services in the churches of various Russian cities and towns. In 2011, he celebrated Christmas at the Church of the Protecting Veil of the Mother of God in the village of Turginovo, Tver Region. In 2010, he attended the service in the church of the Holy Martyrs Alexander and Antonina of Rome in the village of Selishche, Kostroma Region. In 2009, he visited the Purification of Virgin Mary Church in Petrozavodsk, the capital of Karelia. In 2007 and 2008, as President, Vladimir Putin attended the Christmas service at the St Prokopius Cathedral, the main church of Veliky Ustyug, and at the New Jerusalem Monastery outside Moscow.
St Petersburg’s Cathedral of the Lord’s Transfiguration of All the Guards was built by architect Vasily Stasov in 1828 on Preobrazhenskaya Square, which was the courtyard of the Preobrazhensky Regiment’s Grenadier Company in the 1730s. The cathedral, which is associated with the glory of the Russian army, is surrounded by a fence made of 102 bronze cannons from the walls of the Turkish forts captured in the Russian-Turkish War of 1828-1829.
Archpriest Nikolai Gundyayev, Patriarch Kirill’s older brother, has been the rector of St Petersburg’s Transfiguration Cathedral since 1977.
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After attending the Divine Liturgy, the Prime Minister spoke with reporters.
Transcript:
Remark: Merry Christmas to you!
Vladimir Putin: Happy Holidays!
Question: Mr Putin, you usually celebrate this holiday in small rural churches, but today you decided on the northern capital. Could you tell us why you broke with tradition and why you chose this cathedral in particular?
Vladimir Putin: This cathedral is special for me – I was baptised here, about a month and a half after I was born, and my family lived near here.
Question: Do you remember… Do you have any recollection of how you were baptised? Perhaps your mother told you about it?
Vladimir Putin: No, not at all! I was only a month and a half old. My mother didn’t tell me much about it either. She told me that when she and a neighbour brought me here to be baptised – they did it in secret from my father, who was a member of the Communist Party and a loyal and uncompromising man. In any case, they believed that is was in secret. When I was brought to the church, the priest who baptised me said that it was the day of Archangel Michael, and by the way, he added, my name is also Mikhail, so you could give this name to the child if he hasn’t been named yet. But my mother said that they had already registered me as Vladimir, in honour of my father. My mother also told me about how kind and gentle the priest was. He said, “Well, that’s good, it’s an ancient Russian name.” He pointed out an icon of St Vladimir in the cathedral and said, “This will be your icon.” And then, much later, when my parents passed away, my mother’s funeral was held here, and then my father’s a little over year later. So there is much in my life that is associated with this church.
Question: It is customary to make a wish during the Christmas and New Year holidays. Could you tell us what your wish is?
Vladimir Putin: That’s a very personal thing, so I would rather not. But I would like to draw your attention to how unusual this church is.
My family lived near here, just a five-minute walk way. Right after the war, my parents lived across the street from here, directly opposite the church. And then my father got a room in a communal flat. It was in Baskov Lane, as it was called at the time and I believe it is still called that. It is literally a three to five minute walk away. So I used to spend a lot of time here with my friends. I think that the monumentality of the building, the church itself, had an appeal. I am sure you will agree with me – it is beautiful. And what is more, there is a solemn atmosphere inside. It looks just as solid from the inside. And if you notice the fence, it is not just an ordinary fence but a structure made of cannons – the cannon barrels that the Russian army captured in one of the military campaigns of the early 19th century. Fortunately, we have good relations with these countries nowadays, and we value these relations highly, but all the same, the church we are standing in front of now is an enduring testament to our military traditions and Russia’s military glory.
Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas!
Question: And what are your wishes for the nation? On New Year’s Eve you wished us fair elections. What about Christmas?
Vladimir Putin: Let’s not talk about politics today. I wish you happiness, good health and prosperity. All the best! Happy Holidays!
