Russian Orthodox Church Opened in Sharjah
Lily B. Libo-on
14/8/2011
14 August 2011 SHARJAH – The Saint Philip the Apostle Russian Orthodox Church opened here on Saturday, and is set to become the place of worship for an estimated 20,000 Orthodox believers in the UAE, majority of who live in Sharjah.
The temple is the first and only monumental Orthodox church in the Arabian Peninsula and the biggest church beyond the border of CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States).
The 1,800sqm complex is constructed on land donated to the Russian Orthodox Community by His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah.
The Orthodox Complex is the offshoot of the visit of the official delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church in May 2005 during which Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchal Department for External Church Relations, met Shaikh Sultan.
He approved the blueprints of the church and spiritual enlightenment centre on April 26, 2007, which showed both domes and crosses.
Some 14 museum items belonging to Christian sanctities and artistic holograms dating between the 11th and 19th centuries were also presented to the Enlightenment Centre in Sharjah.
lily@khaleejtimes.com
