As we speak, Vladimir Putin is inspecting the New Jerusalem Monastery. The first stage of full-scale restoration has just been completed. The president is escorted by co-chairs of the board of trustees which funds the restoration, the prime minister Dmitri Medvedev, and Patriarch Cyril. Aleksey Petrov reporting.
The monastery, a unique monument of Russian culture, was demolished by the German military during WWII. The restoration has taken decades, and now a jewel of the Russian Orthodox Church once again shines in all its glory.
It really looks like a jewel: the domes of the churches are shining again. The 60-meter bell-tower and the rotunda have been rebuild. The scale of the project is unprecedented. Experts call it a real miracle. Today, the restored monastery is inspected by the president and the head of the government.
The first churches of this cathedral were dedicated 350 years ago by Patriarch Nikon, the founder of the monastery. The monastery was established to support the 17-century concept "Moscow is the Third Rome", and to found a new center of the Orthodox world.
The hill, which accurately imitated holly Mt. Zion, was erected especially for the monastery. This was a copy of the shrine, but it was a precise copy for the 17th century. Now, it has been precisely restored.
There are marks of every epoch in the cathedral. The ceramic tiles under the eaves belong to the 17th century, the stucco and blue color refer to Empress Elizabeth. The monastery re-emerged from the rubble after WWII. In 2011, the full-scale restoration of Voskresensky Cathedral started. The bell-tower, rotunda, Calvary Cross, main gate, and the 12-meter iconostasis have been restored.
Moreover, during the restoration, about 200,000 antique artifacts were found here. For example, archeologists have found 16 tombs, including the graves of the military leader Alexander Suvorov's wife and son. The restoration cost 10 bln RUB, with over 1 bln RUB of the sum coming from believers' donations.
Alexey Petrov, Anna Tsimaylo, Stanislav Ponomarenko, Valeri Glushakov, Vesti, Moscow Region.
