Moscow, March 9, 2017
Photo: RIA-Novosti
The consecration and grand opening of Cyprus’ first Russian-style Orthodox church, named in honor of St. Andrew the First-Called, will take place on March 27, RIA-Novosti reports.
“This is the first church on the island built in the Russian style for the spiritual nourishment of the Russian-language faithful of the Metropolis of Tamasos of the Cypriot Orthodox Church, which is why it’s unique. In short, this is a truly great event which will contribute to the strengthening of the friendship between our Churches and people,” reflected Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk, the head of the Secretariat for Inter-Orthodox Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Affairs (DECR).
There are already several Russian parishes in Cyprus, but they “operate in parishes of the Cypriot Church, built in the Greek style,” the priest stated. According to him, it is expected that Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, the chairman of the DECR, will attend the opening of the new temple.
Metropolitan Isaiah of the Tamasos diocese studied at the Moscow Spiritual Academy and is a long-time friend of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The head of the Republic of Cyprus, the choirs of the St. Petersburg Spiritual Academy and of Sretensky Monastery, and the honored builder of the Russian Federation, the president of the social-cultural foundation “Creative World” Vyacheslav Zarenkova are also expected to attend.
As previously reported, the new church boasts five gold domes from St. Petersburg. The central dome, weighing nearly eight tons, was placed on the church on July 7, 2016. The church will hold 400 people and is to be surrounded by a large hillside garden, pavilions, a reception area, a park for disabled children with special games for those with mobility problems.
