Moscow, January 24, 2017
Photo: https://ria.ru/
Famous priest, traveler, and adventurer Fr. Feodor Konyukhov intends to plumb the depths of the Pacific Ocean, becoming the first to reach the very deepest point of the Mariana Trench, and place there a Russian flag and stone Orthodox cross. Konyukhov, who has had countless adventures across the continents, oceans, and through the sky, will set out on this latest endeavor with polar explorer Artur Chilingarov, reports RIA-Novosti.
On Monday, stone mason Vladimir Mikhailov gave the limestone cross to Fr. Feodor. Exactly fifty years prior the first ever dive to the bottom of the Mariana trench was made by the crew of the “Trieste” on January 23, 1960, a distance of approximately 10.9 kilometers (6.77 miles), with a similar submersion by the Deep Sea Challenger in 2012.
Konyukhov noted that previous expeditions have reached this depth of 10,900 meters, but there remains unexplored a very narrow trench of 11,025 meters (6.85 miles) depth.
“Artur Nikolaevich (Chilingarov) and I will plunge into the Mariana Trench. He will be placing a flag of the Russian Federation there, and I, as an Orthodox priest, will place a cross,” said Fr. Feodor.
The date of the expedition is currently undefined, as their two-person submarine, in which the pair intends to spend a few days in the deepest of trenches, is not yet built. Meanwhile, the 1/2 meter by 1 meter cross, made from ancient limestone, was completed after three months of work.
In May, Vladimir Mikhailov also gave Fr. Feodor a priest’s cross with which he orbited the earth in a hot air balloon.
