One of the most beautiful, history-rich citadels of the Orthodox faith has been restored thanks to ten years of painstaking work by restorers, historians, and builders.
Prime Minister Medvedev and the Head of the Russian Church Kirill come out for the celebration. The church is an exact replica of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. The Russian church now has 800 monasteries, some of them with many hundreds of monks
operation.
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The Resurrection Monastery (or the New Jerusalem Monastery) stands in all its magnificence. One of the most beautiful, history-rich citadels of the Orthodox faith has been restored thanks to ten years of painstaking work by restorers, historians, and builders.
Dmitry Medvedev: “All the conditions to ensure that the monastery has a productive life and pilgrimage have been created. According to my information, this year alone, over 150,000 people visited the monastery.”
The monastery was founded in the middle of the 17th century as the exact copy of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Back then, a pilgrimage to the Holy Land was unthinkable. Patriarch Nikon wanted the Russians to have their own temple just like it and founded a unique piece of Palestine done in the Russian style on the Istra River.
The most labor-consuming task was to restore the main masterpieces such as the Resurrection Cathedral's famous rotunda and the rare tiled icon screen.
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow: “29 objects of cultural significance were restored. Strong engineering infrastructure was created. A gas boiler house, an electric substation, and utility lines were built.”
It's not a coincidence His Holiness stressed the technical details. The Notre Dame accident shows how important those details are for the preservation of the holy sites.
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow: “I suppose it was difficult to do in the center of Paris, though they had the Seine River nearby. Looks like they didn't think about it, and it didn't work out. But here we have every opportunity to make use of this kind of water reserve.”
Over the past few years, top state officials monitored the site personally. In November 2017, Putin visited the place and supported the restoration of the stable yard and the pond hydro system.
Dmitry Medvedev: “The government decided to provide a special funding package, which is to be allocated on a regular basis, for the maintenance of the site so it can be preserved with the same magnificence it currently possesses. And it's very important for New Jerusalem to remain a center of enlightenment.”
That's where you need an Orthodox school. Patriarch Kirill thinks that the monastery meets all the conditions for establishing one. They also plan on restoring the two historical inns.
