On Wednesday, at the next off-site meeting of the federal and regional commissions to prepare for the celebration of the centenary of the canonization of St. Seraphim of Sarov, the first results of the work were summed up. At the moment, 80% of the plan for the restoration and reconstruction of facilities located in Sarov and Diveevo has been completed. Noting that the work was being carried out ahead of schedule, the commission members decided to go on their next inspection trip only on July 22, a week before the start of the festive events.
Kommersant The celebration of the centenary of the canonization of St. Seraphim of Sarov will take place on August 1, 2003 and will last three days. The celebration will be one of the largest events of the Russian Orthodox Church in recent times. 50 bishops from all over the world have already applied to participate in the celebration. A visit by the head of the Russian Orthodox Church Alexy II and Russian President Vladimir Putin is also planned. Preparations for the celebration are directly carried out by the regional commission chaired by the governor of the Nizhny Novgorod region Gennady Khodyrev and the head of the Nizhny Novgorod diocese, Bishop George. In addition, by decree of the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Kasyanov, a commission was formed under the chairmanship of the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Volga Federal District Sergei Kiriyenko and Metropolitan Philaret of Minsk and Slutsk. The main objects of restoration and construction are the Temple of Seraphim of Sarov and the Drama Theater in Sarov and the Holy Trinity Seraphim-Diveevo Convent in Diveevo. The cost of restoring churches is about 300 million rubles, construction of a drama theater is 360 million rubles. All shrines are being restored at the expense of sponsors.

Let us recall that the first visit of the state commission to Sarov and Diveevo took place on March 5. Then they talked mainly about plans for preparing events and their financing. At the same time, the governor of the Nizhny Novgorod region, Gennady Khodyrev, announced that he would personally monitor the progress of work. After which he began to hold monthly operational meetings and tours of the territories in Sarov and Diveyevo. In turn, Plenipotentiary Envoy Sergei Kiriyenko, who arrived on Wednesday for the first time in four months, honestly admitted that he did not recognize the area.
Currently, preparatory work is being carried out ahead of schedule. To date, the repairs and reconstruction of the Church of Seraphim of Sarov have been completed by 80%, and artistic painting of the walls, which was not even included in the preliminary plans, is in full swing. The altar part, as expected, is finished, church services are held here, and on July 15 it is planned to install the iconostasis. The temple is being prepared for the celebration taking into account the large influx of VIP guests, including the President of Russia. A special platform will be installed on the square in front of the cathedral to accommodate guests. At the same time, it was decided to allow entry into the square only with invitation cards, while others will watch the ceremony on large screens installed outside the territory.
The first stage of construction of the Sarov Drama Theater is almost completely finished. Despite the fact that the theater will be completely completed next year, the Nizhny Novgorod State Orchestra will play here on July 28. According to the Minister of Construction and Housing and Communal Services of the Nizhny Novgorod Region Valery Limarenko, there is no such building in all of Russia - the project is a mixture of styles in architecture from Chinese to ancient Greek.
In Diveevo, according to commission members, there are much more problems. One of the key ones is the accommodation of pilgrims, of whom, according to the most conservative estimates, 20 thousand people are expected. “We even have problems with invited guests, not to mention the common people,” noted Sergei Kiriyenko. In Diveevo, it is planned to build several parking lots, a tent camp, numerous sanitary and hygienic points, as well as the organization of food points. It is planned to attract about 600 employees from the Central Internal Affairs Directorate of the Nizhny Novgorod Region to protect public order. As Gennady Khodyrev stated, “we simply have no right to disgrace ourselves with the preparation of such a holiday, so everything will be ready on time.”
SERGEY OVSYANNIKOV

Kommersant (Nizhny Novgorod) No. 115 dated 07/04/2003

Distinguished guests are expected in Sarov