Moscow, February 7, 2020
b1.culture.ru
The 15th-century Holy Dormition Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin is one of the most historic and famous churches of Russia. The scene of the coronation of Russian emperors last underwent complex restoration work in 1974-1976 for its 500th anniversary, and now it is undergoing another round of necessary work.
And, as company president Nikolai Tokarev told reporters on Wednesday, the Russian oil company Transneft will allocate $5,639,400 (360 million rubles) to the cathedral’s restoration as part of its cooperation agreement with the Moscow Kremlin Museums, reports Interfax-Religion.
“About $5.6 million—according to the circumstances, because some new issues are being uncovered, and they require separate consideration. But in general, the budget for the project is in that ball park,” Tokarev said.
He also stressed that Transneft is the only partner of the Kremlin Museums engaged in this work.
“It’s the main church of Russia. It’s already 500 years old; the construction of the entire Kremlin cathedral complex began with it, and many historical events are connected with this church. Therefore, of course, we conisder that preserving it for future generations is one of our main tasks,” the company president said.
The Dormition Cathedral was built in 1474-1479 by the Italian architect and engineer Aristotle Fioravanti. The interior has preserved frescoes, some of which are from the 15th-early 16th centuries. In 2008, engineering and technological surveys revealed the need for large-scale restoration.
Restoration of the wall paintings was launched in 2017 and is scheduled to continue until 2023. In 2018, restoration of the roof structures and vaults, as well as the attic space where leaks were found, began.
Transneft previously already participated in the restoration project of the Eastern facade of the cathedral in 2016.
