Patriarch dedicates Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society's new building in Moscow
Moscow, November 28, Interfax - Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All
Russia dedicated the building housing the Imperial Orthodox Palestine
Society in Moscow after it was re-opened following restoration.
The ceremony was attended by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Moscow
Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, Audit Chamber Chairman Sergey Stepashin, and head
of the Synodal Department for External Church Relations Metropolitan
Hilarion of Volokolamsk.
The building at 3 Zabelina Street has been handed over to the Imperial
Orthodox Palestine Society for five years free of charge. It is part of
Russia's cultural heritage of regional importance, and back in the 18th
and 19th century it was merchants Sumarokov and Tyulyayeva's city
estate.
The building was repaired and restored in 2011-12 under a project with
the Moscow government's participation. The foundation was strengthened
and given an additional water-proofing layer, the walls and ceilings
were strengthened, too, the brickwork of the vaults and the plaster
decor of the rooms were restored, and the old tile furnaces were
recreated. Also, the courtyard was beautifully landscaped, the
engineering infrastructure was replaced and outdoor lighting was put in
place.
The Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society was set up in 1882 by Emperor
Alexander III to organize Russian pilgrims' journeys to the sacred
places - Palestine, Mount Athos and Bari, to assist the Russian Orthodox
Church's service abroad, to do the cultural and educational missionary
work in the Middle East and to study the historical heritage of the Holy
Land.
After the 1917 Revolution, the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society works after new name the Russian Palestine Society was formed at the Academy of
Sciences, which continued the traditional studies of the historical
heritage of the Holy Land.
The Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society was registered again in May 1992
under its historical name. It has 18 regional branches and is chaired
by Sergey Stepashin.