Metropolitan Georgy of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas said that the Resurrection Cathedral in Arzamas reminded the Patriarch of the temple in St. Petersburg.
Photo: REUTERS
On Friday, Vladimir Putin traveled to the Nizhny Novgorod region to attend the inauguration of a toll highway between Moscow and Arzamas. But starting traffic towards Kazan was only one of the objectives of the trip. The president handles infrastructure ceremonies and video conferences very well. The head of the country left the capital to visit the sacred places.
ARZAMAS
First, Vladimir Vladimirovich was shown the Arzamas Museum of the Russian Patriarchate. Here in recent years a whole pilgrimage group “Arzamas – Diveevo – Sarov” has been created.
Arzamas is an ancient city with the status of a historic settlement of federal importance.
“Beauty,” Putin noted, noting the settlement’s improvement.
Metropolitan Georgy of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas said that the Resurrection Cathedral in Arzamas reminded the patriarch of the church in St. Petersburg, where the father of the current primate of the Russian Orthodox Church once served.
“His father baptized me,” Putin noted. – This is how fate decreed it.
In the past, the head of the country said that he was baptized in 1952 (the future president was not even a year old at that time) secretly from his communist father. It was probably the patriarch’s father who baptized Putin.
According to legend, on the site of the current Resurrection Cathedral there was the first Arzamas church, founded by Tsar Ivan the Terrible in 1552. The construction of the modern temple began in 1814.
DIVEEVO
Diveevo is a traditional pilgrimage site. After Arzamas, the President visited the Holy Trinity Seraphim-Diveevo Convent.
First, the Russian leader visited the monastery and attended an evening service in one of the cathedrals. He then spoke to the parishioners who surrounded the president.
“Thank you very much!”, “Good health! Many years to come!”, people shouted, extending their hands to shake hands.
“All the best to you,” Putin wished in response.
The Russian leader exchanged icons with the nuns. As a gift to the monastery, he presented the icon of the 17th-18th centuries “Our Lady of Fedorov”. In response, he was presented with a small icon of Saint Seraphim of Sarov.
Metropolitan Georgy, speaking about the monastery’s Church of the Annunciation, highlighted the “architectural connection with kyiv” and with the Assumption Cathedral of the kyiv Pechersk Lavra.
“They just destroy everything,” Vladimir Vladimirovich responded.
SAROV
Sarov is a scientific and spiritual center. An 18th century monastery is located here.
True, you simply will not get to Sarov, despite all its Orthodox history. The city is home to the Russian Federal Nuclear Center, the All-Russian Research Institute of Experimental Physics, where new nuclear weapons are being developed. Therefore, all visitors must first obtain a pass.
Putin began his visit to the city with a monument to academician Yuli Khariton. The President brought a bouquet of red roses to the commemorative event. The scientist was behind the industrial production of atomic bombs in the Soviet Union.
