Vladimir Putin became one of the first members of the congregation in the new church in Usovo, Moscow Region.
Yesterday Prime Minister Vladimir Putin took part in the opening and consecration of a new church in Usovo, Moscow Region. It took only a year to build the entire church complex, complete with its own village school, small theater, workshops and even a children’s playground.
The first chapel in Usovo village was built in the 17th century, but three centuries later the parishioners were left without a church. During the Soviet era a number of state dachas were built along the Rublyovo-Uspenskoye highway, and the old church was located on the site of what is now the prime minister’s current residence Novo-Ogaryovo. That is why parishioners in the area asked Vladimir Putin to build a new one.
One year later the Holy Savior’s Image Church Complex opened. Of course, a lot of work remains to be done. In a couple of years’ time the garden, which is divided up into different areas, will become a veritable garden of eden. The church itself still looks quite ascetic without any murals, although, that too is just a matter of time: once the building has settled, the painting will begin. It has already been announced that the church is to be painted by Archimandrite Zinovy, often referred to as a second Andrei Rublyov.
Yesterday, the congregation, including Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, gathered for the first church service.
“The relations between the government and the Russian Orthodox Church are going through a special period and stand out for their special warmth,” the prime minister stressed during the opening ceremony, continuing: “We do not just return to the Church what it was illegally deprived of after 1917, but we also build new churches.”
“It is a special day for our church, for the diocese of Moscow and our Motherland, because the opening of each new church is an event in its own right,” Patriarch Kirill said yesterday. “If we recall the time when the government rejected God and attempted to build a just and prosperous state and to create a better life without God, we can indeed call what is happening today a great miracle. And that miracle happened thanks to the prayers of those who went to their deaths without ever giving up, those who kept the faith no matter what.”
The patriarch said that the church can and must develop and change, and that this church complex is a trailblazer, leading the way. In addition to the church, an entire social and cultural complex is located here, including a Sunday school, workshops, a gym, a theatre and a library. Vladimir Putin was given a full tour of it yesterday starting with the library, which resembled a computer room: a computer with Internet access stood on each table.
“Here you can contact other libraries, both in-country and abroad, over the Internet.” Patriarch Kirill explained.
They then went to the theatre. The prime minister entered the hall during dress rehearsals for a performance of the show Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich. Children and adults wearing elaborate costumes were standing on stage.
“What are the acoustics here like?” asked the prime minister.
“Excellent, very good,” the actors all shouted back at him.
“And can I have a listen?” Vladimir Putin asked.
“May we invite you to join us onstage?” asked the theatre’s Artistic Director Mikhail Shchepenko.
The prime minister smiled and modestly tried to turn them down.
“If I start singing, everybody will run away,” he laughed.
“We would really like to see you at one of our performances,” the artistic director said.
“Thank you, but I already have a performance scheduled: it is called “the government meeting,” Putin replied, laughing. After having tea with the patriarch, Vladimir Putin headed for Moscow to meet with the ministers who awaited his return.
Anastasia Savinykh
