Orthodox News and Events

The Ambitions Of A Would-Be Orthodox Pope

Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill waves during his visit to Odesa on July 20.

The current visit to Ukraine by Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill -- and his statements before his departure from Moscow and during his stops in Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kyiv -- have probably evoked greater interest than any previous visit to Ukraine by a head of the Russian Orthodox Church.

This is not simply because it's mid-summer and there is so little other news. It has become evident that the new patriarch adheres to a clear political line with regard to Ukraine, one that entails regular and lengthy visits -- and possibly even dividing his time between Moscow and Kyiv.

To understand why the patriarch is showing a level of interest in Ukraine that can hardly be compared with scant attention paid by his predecessor, Aleksy II, we need to look at Kirill's biography. He is almost certainly the most influential cleric within the Russian church today. Within the Holy Synod, none of the clerics of Kirill's generation can compete with him in terms of erudition, "media savvy," and administrative ability.

What's more, the majority of the current leaders of the church eparchies, including Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine Volodymyr, are already well on in years. The process of rejuvenating the church hierarchy depends on the new patriarch: The new young metropolitans and archbishops will be chosen from Kirill's circle.

Nikodim's Pupil

But the patriarch is not a lone priest who developed independently and mustered enough support to enable him to become head of the Russian Orthodox Church without any serious competition. Kirill was the favorite pupil of one of the most influential figures within the Russian Orthodox Church during the Soviet era, Leningrad Metropolitan Nikodim.

 

Pope Benedict (left) greets Metropolitan Kirill to the Vatican in 2006.

Nikodim always aspired to the patriarchate himself, but he was so independent and charismatic that the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union was afraid of him. But they were only too happy to make use of the learned and respected Nikodim within the pro-Soviet peace movement and the World Council of Churches.

Other clergymen -- including Nikodim's friend, Kyiv Metropolitan Filaret -- were apprehensive about his enthusiasm for the Roman Catholic Church. But by all accounts what attracted Nikodim was not the church as such, but the Vatican's administrative machine.

One could argue that in the last years of his life Nikodim de facto headed the Russian Orthodox Church, and that his death -- in St. Peter's, while on a trip to the Vatican to congratulate new Pope John Paul I -- was symbolic. At that point, Kirill, despite his youth, was already rector of the Theological Academy in Leningrad and was regarded as Nikodim's spiritual successor. For that reason, his recent statements in an interview with Ukrainian journalists about his support for the moral positions staked out by Pope Benedict XVI were little surprise to anyone.

But it must be borne in mind that for decades after the death of Metropolitan Nikodim, Kirill (who soon succeeded his teacher in the post of church "foreign minister," the head of the department for relations with foreign churches) lived in an atmosphere of constant apprehension. He was suspected of aspiring to the patriarchate, of secretly sympathizing with Catholicism, of putting business interests above those of the church, and, worst of all, of reformist views.

Russia's John Paul II

Judging by his later career, those suspicions were not without foundation.

That Kirill wanted to become patriarch is, to my mind, a given. What is more, despite Aleksy's reservations about him, he managed to emerge as the only real candidate for that post.

The media have had a field day writing about Kirill's imputed business activities while he was metropolitan of Smolensk and Kaliningrad. But the church is a closed organization, and one can only guess at what is true and what is simply the fabrications of those both within and outside the church who have no great affection for him. (Those outside the church are a separate subject of discussion, insofar as the Kremlin had its own prospective candidates for the patriarchy and was forced to concede defeat.) Accusations of sympathy for Roman Catholicism and reformist views are simply manifestations of fear before Kirill the able administrator.

 

Kirill visits Belarus in 2009.

Kirill really does want to reform the Russian Orthodox Church as an organization, possibly even on the Vatican model, and he is capable of doing so. He wants to make the church more "telegenic” and open it up to the Internet, which is inevitable if the Russian Orthodox Church really wants to become not simply a cover and friend of the authorities in Russia, but a genuine church that can compete with the many Protestant confessions.

But from the theological and social standpoint, this apparent reformer remains an arch-conservative. In this respect, I would compare him with Pope John Paul II. He is, in fact, the John Paul II of the Russian church, a man who is not afraid of television cameras or crowded stadiums, who can express himself not just on religious topics, but also on history and politics.

But there is one key difference: The Russian patriarch is not the pope. Kirill, however, refuses to admit this fact. He is trying to subordinate to himself the entire administrative machine of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Battle For The Ukrainian Church

In this context, Kirill's frequent visits to Ukraine are entirely justified. During Aleksy's tenure as patriarch, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate evolved into a completely independent organization, headed by one of the Russian Orthodox Church's most influential clerics, Metropolitan Volodymyr, who is a member of the Holy Synod and a former candidate for the patriarchy.

What's more, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate, which split from the Russian Orthodox Church, is headed by yet another former aspirant to the Russian Patriarchate, Filaret, the representative of the patriarchal throne and the de facto head of the church in Patriarch Pimen's time. So we can see the serious and, more important, informed younger contemporaries of Nikodim that Kirill has to contend with. For the moment, he is simply waiting.

 

Kirill will wait Metropolitan Volodymyr (left) out.

The real battle for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church will get under way only after the departure of these two elderly clerics. Kirill will not risk an open confrontation with Metropolitan Volodymyr, although his decision to deliver a sermon in Kyiv's Cathedral of St. Sofia is a gesture intended to show the clergy that Volodymyr's successor will be the Moscow patriarch.

It was Kirill who organized Aleksy's trip to Ukraine to celebrate the anniversary of Rus's conversion to Christianity in 988 A.D. in Kyiv, and he did so in such a way as to transform the visit into a joint one by two patriarchs. The opportunity to legitimize a part of the Ukrainian church under the auspices of the patriarch of Constantinople was lost.

A Post-Soviet Church

The ultimate aim of all Patriarch Kirill's efforts is clear: he calls it the "Russian world," but bearing in mind that he includes within the confines of this world only Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Moldova (which is not Slavic and is fractured by a conflict between the Russian and Romanian Orthodox churches), it is clear that what he really means is a "church empire" with himself as its head. This is a huge temptation.

The patriarch realizes that unlike Russia's leaders, he is not constrained by state frontiers, and he can display the flags of the former Soviet republics around his throne. He sees the real intellectual level of the post-Soviet leadership with whom he deals with, as opposed to the image of them shown on television.

And unlike many of those leaders, he does not have to worry about the problem of a "third term." So all he needs to do is wait for an opportune turn of events and work to bring it about sooner.

What, specifically, would constitute an opportune turn of events? First, intensified control on the part of Moscow over the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate and the demoralization of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate. This means waiting for a change in the leadership of both churches.

Second, dialogue with the Vatican resulting in a limit on the growth of the Greek Catholic Church and freezing the question of the Greek Catholic Patriarchy. This dialogue could equally be conducted with Pope Benedict or with his successor.

Third, political and economic instability in Russia that would convince her citizens their political idols/leaders are phantoms and focus increased attention on the patriarch.

In a society that lacks moral authorities, the patriarch could play a key role because even now he is not afraid to condemn Bolshevism and to hold the church in contrast to Soviet institutions. In the midst of this, the patriarch would then look like an "Orthodox Pope," a symbol of unity for the demoralized post-Soviet populace.

The one thing that could prevent the fulfillment of those dreams, however paradoxical this may sound, is the political and economic modernization of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. If these countries take the path of reforms, if a responsible elite and middle class emerge, then the church will be just a church, and Patriarch Kirill will have to devote his abilities not to building a new Vatican in Moscow, but to giving moral sustenance to his fellow citizens.

Vitaly Portnikov is a broadcaster with RFE/RL's Ukrainian and Russian services. The views expressed in this commentary are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of RFE/RL

Local Monastery to Observe its Patronal Feast

Dormition of the Mother of God Orthodox Monastery

In giving birth you preserved your virginity, in falling asleep you did not forsake the world, O Birthgiver of God. You were translated to life, O Mother of Life, and by your prayers deliver our souls from death.
- Tropar of the Dormition

 
 

 

23rd Annual Pilgrimage
August 14-15, 2010

Guest Hierarch
His Eminence Archbishop NATHANIEL

Schedule of Services

Saturday, August 14
06:30 am	Matins
09:00 am	Divine Liturgy
11:00 am	Lunch
05:00 pm	Light Supper
06:30 pm	Vigil of the Feast with Lamentations

Sunday, August 15
09:00 am	Akathist, 3rd & 6th Hour
09:45 am	Procession to the Pavilion
10:00 am	Hierarchal Divine Liturgy
12:30 pm	Lunch
02:30 pm	Mystery of Holy Unction Service
05:00 pm	Vespers Service
06:30 pm	Supper

HOME BACKED GOODS WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR SALE IN THE GIFTSHOP.

DAYTON, OH: EXHIBIT OF HISTORIC ICONS AT ST. PAUL THE APOSTLE CHURCH

Iconographer Dmitri Shkolnik at work on one of St. Paul's new icons.

Representing more than five centuries of a unique artistic tradition, St. Paul the Apostle Church here will be hosting an exhibition of more than 100 icons, both ancient and new, on display in its sanctuary, located at 4451 Wagner Road in Sugarcreek Township, August 20-22, 2010. The exhibition is free and open to the public from 10 AM to 6 PM on Friday, August 20th and Saturday, August 21st, and from 12-5 PM on Sunday, August 22nd.

Icons (from the Greek word "eikon" meaning "image") are an ancient Christian artistic tradition dating from the time of the Apostles, aimed at communicating the Gospel visually. Today icons are most commonly painted with natural pigments on specially prepared wooden panels, and depict Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, saints, or biblical events according to strict theological and artistic rules. Commonly used throughout the 250 million member Eastern Orthodox Church, icons have long been associated with miracles of healing or victory in battle.

The exhibition entitled " The Gift of Transfiguration: Changed Life and Lives" features 40 historic icons, dating from 1650 to the present, from Russia, Greece, Ukraine, Ethiopia as well as the United States. Among the treasures, taken from private collections (and on public display for the first time in Ohio) are a 17th century Russian miniature iconstasis, or "icon screen" with more than 20 individual figures, as well as a large 18th century Icon of the Virgin Mary titled " The Joy of All Who Sorrow."

The historic icons will be surrounded by 36 large icons recently installed on the walls of St. Paul’s, commissioned by the parish from noted Russian-American iconographer Dmitri Shkolnik. Born in Moscow, now based in San Francisco, Shkolnik’s original icons for St. Pauls’ detail scenes from the life of Christ, the life of St. Paul, as well saints of the 20th century - including several martyrs from the Midwest who were executed in Russia for their faith during the years of Soviet oppression.

In keeping with the theme, "The Gift of Transfiguration: Changed Life and Lives", the exhibition concludes with a number of recent icons by Daryl Cochran, an American iconographer who is currently an inmate at the London Correctional Institute in London, OH. "Daryl became an Orthodox Christian a few years ago while in prison," explains Fr. Ted Bobosh, rector of the parish. "A talented artist, Daryl is in the process of becoming a unique iconographer as well."

The exhibition will take place during a weekend of celebration that will also see a visit by the His Grace, Bishop Melchisedek of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania, who will bless and consecrate the parish’s new icons. Bishop Melchisedek, a native Daytonian, will preside at Vespers on Saturday evening, August 20, at 7 PM. That same evening at 8 PM, he will offer a reflection on the meaning of icons, followed by a small reception. On Sunday Auugst 21, the Bishop will celebrate the Divine Liturgy at 9:30 AM, followed by a service of blessing for the new icons at 11:00 AM, and a reception in the parish hall at 11:30 AM. The public is welcome to all events.

The exhibition and consecration of the new icons is part of the year-long 25th anniversary celebrations of St. Paul the Apostle Orthodox Christian Church, a parish of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA).

For more information on the exhibition, or the associated events, please contact St. Paul Orthodox Church at 937-320-9977, or Fr. Ted Bobosh at 937-297-3060, or visit the parish website at www.stpdayton.org.

 

IOCC: "KITS FOR KIDS" CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED

Looking for a great back-to-school service project that will provide kids around the world with supplies that they desperately need? International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) is challenging its supporters to assemble 10,000 school kits by September 2010 as part of its "Kits for Kids" campaign.

Parish youth leaders and Sunday School teachers can use "Kits for Kids" as a powerful way for children to learn how to serve others while providing supplies for some of the millions of children who lack items as basic as pencils and paper. Complete instructions for assembling an IOCC School Kit can be accessed at www.iocc.org/schoolkits.

"The kits are so valuable, especially from the simple perspective of the kids getting something new and clean and useful that they could call their own," said an Orthodox priest in Haiti who works at a school that is supported by IOCC and who recently received a shipment of school kits.

IOCC, which has sent tens of thousands of school kits to children in need throughout Eastern Europe and the Middle East, through a partnership with Church World Service (CWS), is reporting very low supplies of school kits at the warehouse in Maryland where they are stored.

Become part of the "Kits for Kids" campaign today! Help IOCC get 10,000 school kits to 10,000 children who need them desperately all over the world! Complete instructions are at www.iocc.org/schoolkits.

You can help people around the world by making a financial gift to IOCC. To make a gift, please visit www.iocc.org, call toll free at 1-877-803-IOCC (4622), or mail a check or money order payable to IOCC, PO Box 630225, Baltimore, MD 21263-0225.

IOCC, founded in 1992 as the official humanitarian aid agency of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA), has implemented over $330 million in relief and development programs in 33 countries around the world.

Orthodox Taxis Drive a Fine Line

Moskovskaya Troika, a taxi service run by and catering to Russian Orthodox believers, has attracted both customers and criticism.

When Nikolai Maslov, 29, decided to start his own taxi service, he knew he'd need a niche to compete with Moscow's unruly swarms of private cabs and the few large companies that dominate the official market.

Moskovskaya Troika, the company he launched just two months ago, has already built a dedicated following among the city's Russian Orthodox. Its drivers are all devout believers, who are more likely to share a prayer than rant about traffic or the weather.

The cabs come equipped with pre-recorded services from the Orthodox Radonezh radio station, as well as literature from the church.

“Jesus came to Jerusalem riding a donkey, and this was a sort of transportation, too," Maslov said in an interview. "An Orthodox believer can spend time on the road to his soul's advantage. If he's stuck in a traffic jam, he's with an Orthodox driver and listening to church prayers."

The company, which timed its launch to coincide with Palm Sunday, now has 50 privately owned taxis, ranging from Mercedes cars to minivans. Its offices in southern Moscow are alongside a tourist agency providing trips to religious destinations in Russia and abroad.

But as Maslov cashes in on a resurgent interest in the Russian Orthodox Church, he also has had to parry complaints that Moskovskaya Troika is more about excluding others than catering to a few.

Last month, a host on the popular radio station Serebryany Dozhd called the taxi company to book a car to a mosque, giving a Muslim name and speaking with a Caucasus accent.

The station later played the recording of Moskovskaya Troika's dispatcher telling the host, Alex Dubas, that her bosses do not allow the company "to take non-Orthodox passengers."

The recording led to considerable criticism on blogs and in the press, but Maslov maintains that his company is ready to do business with anyone, regardless of faith.

"We are not the Orthodox taxi for Orthodox believers, but an Orthodox taxi for everyone," he said, adding that the company had fired the dispatcher involved in the radio incident and posted an apology on its web site.

Maslov also complained about an article in Afisha magazine, written by reporter Yevgenia Kuida, who pretended she wanted to work as a driver.

In her story, Kuida quoted a company manager present at her interview as saying they do not hire “Georgians or Armenians, only decent, Orthodox people."

Georgia is predominantly Orthodox, while most Armenians follow the Armenian Apostolic Church.

“Afisha magazine has not officially interviewed our company staffers, and a made-up story from a journalist cannot be a source of quotations," according to a statement on the company's web site.

The Constitution prohibits discrimination based on gender or religion, but for an individual to sue a business, he or she would need a written refusal to prove the grounds for the denial of service, said Eduard Sukharev, a Moscow-based civil lawyer.

The Labor Code also prohibits employers from refusing to hire people because of their religious beliefs.

But Maslov said Moskovskaya Troika was not in violation of the law, and that despite the largely hostile reaction in the press, business has been good.

“I had this idea to make money as I saw a market niche that hadn't been occupied yet,” he said. The idea came to him several years ago when he met an Orthodox believer working as a private taxi driver.

"He gave me a business card saying he was an Orthodox man who provides a taxi service for the faithful," recalled Maslov, adding that he had since hired him.

The company distributes leaflets inside churches to attract clients, and 30 percent of its orders come from people who are looking for a ride to church or back home after a service. The rates are comparable to other major services in Moscow, charging 300 rubles, or about $10, for the first half hour and 9 rubles for each additional minute.

Maslov declined to say how much he has invested. He runs the business with a partner, whom he identified only as a former executive at one of Moscow's taxi companies.

The businessman personally interviews would-be drivers, who he said must be baptized Orthodox and should have a car, preferably a Western model in good condition. "Most of our drivers are deeply religious people," Maslov said.

One of them is Pyotr Yurenkov, 43, who joined the company as soon as it was hiring.

“I worked as a driver for a private company, but then it collapsed, thank God. I was glad to find a place where you can work honestly and have a free schedule,” he said.

Like all cars in the company's fleet, Yurenkov’s Honda Civic was blessed by a priest.

Sometimes the company will offer a free ride to a senior church official, Maslov said, recalling how the company had driven a bishop and an icon painter around for a tour of Moscow churches for an entire day.

Galina Yastrebova, a priest’s assistant in the Spas Nerukotvorny Church at Andronikov Monastery in southwestern Moscow, said she welcomed the idea of an Orthodox taxi but doubted that many churchgoers would use the service.

“Most of them are taking the metro or ask for a lift from other churchgoers,” she said.

But she added that if she ever needed a taxi, she'd rather choose an Orthodox one. “Orthodox people understand each other better,” she said.

The Russian Orthodox Church also was supportive of the idea, although cautioning that the service should be respectful of others' beliefs.

“This is a good idea in general, because people who are usually reluctant to take cabs would feel comfortable sharing a car with a fellow believer," said Vsevolod Chaplin, who heads the church's department for relations with the state. "But I would advise the owners not to treat people with other religious beliefs with disregard."

Maslov said he planned to expand the business to include transportation and moving services for corporate clients.

“There are people who are looking for businesses with an Orthodox view, who will not be able to cheat,” he said.

Reconstruction of Kronstadt Cathedral to add to Russia’s clout

With restoration works currently in full swing, the Cathedral remarkably remains an eye-catcher, our correspondent Milena Simonova (The Voice of Russia) says, pointing to the fact that the current session of the Guardian Council coincides with a visit by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople to St.Petersburg. On Saturday, Patriarch Kirill, in turn, heaped praise on what he called an important link between Russian and Byzantine Orthodoxy.

The Kronstadt Cathedral is a replica of the St.Sophia Cathedral in Constantinople, which in turn added substantially to Prince Vladimir’s final decision on baptism of the Kievan Rus in ancient times, Patriarch Kirill explains.The Cathedral’s construction was initiated by St.John of Kronstadt in the early 1900s. Overlooking the Gulf of Finland, the Cathedral remarkably helped sailors to navigate in  the area at the time , experts explain, particularly pointing to the Cathedral’s eye-catching interior.The Cathedral was closed in 1929, and was then converted to a cinema, a House of Officers, a concert hall and a branch of the Central Museum of the Russian Navy. It owes its reconstruction to the Russian Orthodox Church, which started to grapple with the issue in the late 1990s. Repossessing the Cathedral is yet to be resolved by the Moscow Patriarchate, which, meanwhile, continues the facility’s reconstruction in a close cooperation with the state.  For his part, Patriarch Kirill voiced hope that upon being restored, the Kronstadt Cathedral will turn into a major shrine of the Russian military.

It was the Kronstadt Cathedral where our forefathers were blessed to uphold the independence of their Motherland, Patriarch Kirill says, specifically piling praise on the Soviet people’s immortal feat-of-arms during World War Two.  A symbol of Russia’s revival, the soon-to-be-restored Cathedral is all but certain to contribute to the Russian Armed Forces’ overhaul, Patriarch Kirill concludes.ANNOUNCER: Experts say that the reconstruction of the Naval Cathedral of St.Nicholas in Kronstadt is due to be completed by 2013, when the centenary of its consecration will be celebrated.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has ordered the handover of about 20 Moscow-area monasteries to the Russian Orthodox Church, returning properties seized during the Bolshevik Revolution almost a century ago.

In January, Prime Min­ister Vladimir Putin ordered the handover, which will make Novodevichy a fully functioning convent for the first time since the Bolsheviks seized the property almost a century ago. But the directive may also force museums to relinquish thousands of icons and other worship-related items that originally belonged to the site, so they, too, can be used once again in religious ceremonies.

Novodevichy is the last of about 20 Moscow-area monasteries to be returned to the church, along with hundreds of similar buildings around the country, in a process that church spokespeople and nationalist politicians in the State Duma hail as "historical justice."

But critics allege the mass giveaway of art and real estate to the church endangers precious artifacts, removes vast swaths of Russia's heritage from the public sphere, and cements a controversial political compact between church and Kremlin.

"Novodevichy is an outstanding historical monument, and it should be left to professionals to preserve it," says Alexei Lebedev, with the Institute of Cultural Studies in Moscow, which is run by the Ministry of Culture. "This process of 'demuseumification' that's going on now is a sign of serious social illness. The church is not an institution dedicated to preserving the heritage of history and culture, it has a different mission. It's not going to be their keeper, and that's a potential tragedy."

Church leader: 'This is a sacred place''

Church leaders, however, insist the returned assets are needed to serve Russia's huge Orthodox community, who associate the historical buildings and objects with the foundations of their faith.

"Novodevichy is an ancient convent that has been at the center of our nation's spiritual life for centuries," says Sergei Zvonaryov, a spokesman for the patriarch, who is the head of the Russian Orthodox Church. "It was created for this purpose, and every Russian believer knows of it. This is a sacred place, and with its transference Novodevichy will again become a place of prayer, a place one can associate with God."

No one is exactly sure how many churches and monasteries have been given back since "restitution" began in earnest about a decade ago. But the director of Russia's State History Museum, Alexander Shkurko, says about two-thirds of all former church buildings nationalized by the Communists have already been returned, and he would like to see the new legislation being drafted in the State Duma set some limits on the handovers and require the church to cooperate with the museum service.

MOSCOW, May 24 (RIA Novosti) - The Moscow Patriarchate expressed its condolences on Monday over the death of Grand Duchess of Russia Leonida Georgievna Romanov.

"Grand Duchess Leonida Georgievna, who had lived a very dramatic, complicated and long life, never forgot Russia," archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, who is in charge of the Russian Orthodox Church's relations with society, said.

The de-jure empress, the eldest representative of the Romanov family, died late on Sunday at the age of 95 in Madrid.

"Yesterday, the senior priest of the Russian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarchate in Madrid, Father Andrei Korodchkin, visited her and administered the Holy Mysteries. Towards evening, there was deterioration [in her health], and the monarchess was taken to hospital," spokesman for the Romanov house Alexander Zakatov said.

He said Leonida Georgievna's daughter and Head of the Romanov Dynasty Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, remained by her mother's side until the end.

Leonida Georgievna was the last representative of the Romanov Imperial House born before the Russian Revolution in 1914. She was descended from the House of Mukhrani, a collateral branch of the Bagrationi dynasty. Her family ruled ancient Georgia and Armenia from the early Middle Ages until the beginning of the 16th century.

Leonida Georgievna left the Soviet Union in 1931, with the help of Russian writer Maxim Gorky.

She married Sumner Moore Kirby in 1934, and gave birth to her first daughter Helen. After divorcing Kirby, the princess married Grand Duke Vladimir Cyrillovich Romanov, who claimed to be the Russian Emperor from 1938 to his death.

Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna is the daughter of Grand Duke Vladimir and has styled herself as the heir to the Russian imperial throne since her father died in 1992.

Zakatov said Leonida Georgievna would be buried in Russia near Duke Vladimir, in St. Petersburg's Peter and Paul Cathedral. The date of the burial has not yet been set.

Chaplin said the decision to bury the late grand duchess in the Peter and Paul Fortress, where many other members of the Romanov family are buried, was "natural and right."

Russia's last tsar, Nicholas II, his wife, their four daughters and son, and several servants, were shot dead by the Bolsheviks in a basement in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg in the early hours of July 17, 1918.

The murdered Romanovs were canonized in 2000.

Holy cloister to go back to the Russian Church
May 25, 2010  The Voice of Russia

The Krutitsi Cloister was called so because it is situated on “krutitsi”, the old name for the hills on the left bank of the River Moskva. The first buildings on the grounds of the future Patriarch’s residence appeared as early as the late 13th century, says the cloister Father Superior archpriest Sergey Shastin.

“The Krutitsi Cloister is one of the oldest places in Moscow. Once, by request of the Prince St. Alexander Nevsky and on the initiative of Metropolitan Kirill of Kiev, the Sarsko-Podonskaya diocese was established on the “krutitsi”. The name was derived from the Golden Horde capital city name of Saray. The bishops who were at the head of that diocese attended to Russian prisoners in the Golden Horde. And in the 17th century a Krutitsi diocese was established. Its area was equal to that of today’s France,” said Farther Sergey.

The authorities tried to close the Krutitsi cloister in Moscow many times, fearing its power and influence on parishioners. But it managed to withstand those attempts and to become one of the most respected spiritual centres. Here, on the rather small grounds, real gems of Russian architecture were constructed. The Assumption Cathedral is a smaller version of its name-sake in the Kremlin. The Krutitsi wooden house “teremok” with covered-in suspended passages of special historical and artistic interest are the Metropolitan’s Chamber, which is a peculiar palace of the Krutitsi Metropolitans, and a tent-shaped Resurrection Church with the tombs of many Russian high priests in the basement.

In the 1920s the Bolsheviks managed to close the Krutitsi cloister. For many years its buildings became army barracks and the grounds were called a military zone. In mid-1950s the Architecture Committee of the Council of Ministers decided to start restoring the cloister and 30 years later, in mid-1980s, the State History Museum deposits were housed on the grounds.

The process of returning the cloister to the Russian Orthodox Church has been continuing for 20 years and is still going on. At present most of the unique buildings have been turned over to the Russian Orthodox Church. The Moscow Patriarchate plans to become the only legitimate owner of the cloister by the end of this year. Though, it does not rule out further cooperation of the Church with the museum, the Father Superior archpriest Sergey Shastin is convinced.

“The State History Museum arranged numerous exhibitions in the Metropolitan’s Chamber. And now we have an agreement that after the restoration of the Chamber the museum will keep doing it. This cooperation will favour people’s spiritual and cultural education,” said Sergey Shastin.