Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia Blessed Dome Crosses for St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral under Construction
Some two thousand of residents of the city and the pilgrims gathered at the constructed cathedral to get the blessing of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia and to pray with him.
The believers with the portraits of Patriarch Kirill, the flags of Russia and the icons of St. George the Trophy-Bearer and the slogans “God and Patriarch Kirill are with us!” met the First Hierarch.
Note that the cathedral in the center of the city was projected during the visit of Catherine II to the Crimea, but was erected only 100 years later – in the reign of Alexander III, in 1881.
In 1922 the cathedral was closed and in eight years it was blown up. The park was planted in the place of the five-domed cathedral, and then the remains of the city defenders, deceased in Great Patriotic War were buried in the common tomb, later their remains were transferred to the military cemetery.
Now there is a memorial cross at the walls of the constructed church and the plate with the names of the solders deceased in the battles for liberation of the Crimea.
The reconstruction of St. Alexander Nevsky cathedral began in 2003. By the present the construction of the walls is almost finished and the domes are installed. The church is a magnificent construction by size; it is decorated by the porch with the columns in classic style.
By RIA NOVOSTI
