This is indescribable

The head of the Commission on the Education, Culture and Science of the St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly, Maxim Reznik, asked the Prosecutor General’s Office to verify the legality of the transfer of the ROC Sampsonievsky Cathedral. It is reported by Kommersant.

Reznik in a letter addressed to the Prosecutor General of Yuri Chaika disputes the legality of the disposal of the property relations committee of August 26, 2016 on the seizure of the Isaacievsky Cathedral from the museum with its consent and transfer to the free use of the St. Petersburg diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church of nine real estate, which are part of the Sampsonievsky Cathedral complex.

The deputy refers to the fact that, according to the law, the transfer of the church of objects belonging to state or municipal institutions is allowed only after the cessation of their rights. However, according to the Law "On the Museum Fund", the latter is possible only if the objects are used for other purposes, or in the case of the liquidation of the museum.

When transferring the ROC Sampsonievsky Cathedral, there were no such grounds, the Reznik emphasizes. The museum’s refusal, signed by its director Nikolai Burov, also cannot serve as a legal basis for the removal of the complex. “The head of the museum is not endowed with such powers,” the deputy notes.

According to Reznik, if the Prosecutor General’s Office agrees with his arguments, the supervisory authority will have to impose a moratorium on the transfer of the ROC of the St. Isaac's Cathedral until the elimination of contradictions in the legislation.

The official decision on the transfer of Sampsonievsky Cathedral to the ROC for a period of 49 years was adopted at the end of August 2016. In addition to the church building itself, the clergy received at their disposal a bell tower, a chapel and a jubilee house. On February 5, at the ceremony, the director of the State Museum -Reserve, Isaac's Cathedral, Nikolai Burov, handed the keys to the rector of the temple , the former Klyuchar Isaacia Archimandrite Serafim (Shkredu).

Burov said that there are not many churches on the Vyborg side, so the transfer of the Sampsoniev Cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church is necessary. At the same time, he noticed that museum objects remain in the cathedral, which needs to be monitored. Archimandrite Seraphim, in turn, assured that the church has already installed temperature and humidity sensors, and agreements were concluded with travel agencies on excursions.

According to the order of the Property Relations Committee of St. Petersburg dated December 30, the Isaac's Cathedral will be transferred to the ROC for a period of 49 years. The transfer of the building of the cathedral, in which the museum is now located, in January was talked about the already resolved issue. However, in mid -February, the process was suspended when information appeared in the media that the city governor Georgy Poltavchenko did not agree on this step with Vladimir Putin .

In January - February in St. Petersburg, a number of protests were held, including those who were inconsistent, against the transfer of the building to the clergy.

On March 28, the city election room registered the initiative group for holding a referendum on the fate of Isaac . The following question is supposed to be made to the vote: “Do you agree that the St. Petersburg Cathedral, which related to the history and culture of federal significance and owned by St. Petersburg, saved the blood and Peter and Paul Cathedral on the right of operational management for state museums when ensuring the possibility of holding religious rites and ceremonies?”

Now the decision of the election commission must be approved by the city legislative assembly. If the deputies vote for, the initiative group will have to collect at least 2 percent of voters - 75 thousand people in support of their idea of ​​signature in support of their idea. After that, the voting day will be appointed.

Last week, the media reported that Isaac would be transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church on July 12 , on the day of the apostles of Peter and Paul, and Patriarch Kirill will come to consecrate the cathedral. However, sources close to the Russian Orthodox Church and the Ministry of Culture noted that the transfer of the cathedral could indeed be timed to the church or church-state holiday. But the specific date has not yet been determined, but only discussed in the administration of St. Petersburg.