PATRIARCH KIRILL AND MOSCOW MAYOR VISIT PATRIARCHAL METOCHION OF THE HOLY MARTYRS OF CHERNIGOV IN MOSCOW

On November 18, 2015, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin visited the Patriarchal Metochion of the Holy Martyrs of Chernigov in Moscow.

The architectural compound of the metochion, a monument of the 14th-15^th centuries and object of cultural heritage of federal significance, was restored for the centenary of St. Vladimir Equal-to-the-Apostles and the 600^th anniversary of the metochion.

At present, the metochion hosts the Ss Cyril and Methodius Institute of Post-Graduate Studies.

The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Moscow Mayor were accompanied by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Department for External Church Relations and rector of the Institute, A. Garbenko, Moscow deputy mayor, V. Chernikov, head of the Moscow department for ethnic policy, interreligious relations and tourism. And A. Yemelyanov, head of the Moscow cultural heritage department.

Patriarch Kirill and Mayor Sobyanin inspected the results of the restoration work carried out at the church of St. John the Baptist, a part of the metochion compound.

In an interview to the mass media, Mr. Sobyanin noted that along with the restoration work in the compound, a face-lift was given to adjacent streets.

Then in the church of the Holy Prince Michael and His Boyar Theodore of Chernigov, the Moscow chief architect, Mr. S. Kondrashev, introduced the guests to the archaeological discoveries made during the restoration work.

Patriarch Kirill and Mr. Sobyanin also inspected the territory of the metochion, the belfry with a fresco of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist and the 19^th century building housing the Cyril and Methodius Institute.

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The Chernigov Metochion in Pyatnitskaya Street and Chernigovsky Pereulok includes famous monuments of the 18^th century Moscow church architecture.

The churches and other buildings were returned to the Russian Orthodox Church in the early 1990s. Soon after the divine services were resumed in them.

In 2010, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the Ss Cyril and Methodius Institute of Post-Graduate Studies was accommodated in the Chernogov Metochion. The restoration work began in 2012 and has been completed in 2015.

Patriarchal Press Service

DECR Communication Service

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