Astrakhan City Hall plans to demolish the Protestant House of Prayer

The administration of Astrakhan intends to demolish the House of Prayer of the Church of Jesus Christ, which is part of the Russian Church of Evangelical Christians (Pentecostals).

The mayor's office plans to build a musical theater for the 450th anniversary of Astrakhan on the site of this building and the park where it is located. In return, the community is offered buildings and land plots in remote areas of the city, which does not suit the believers. According to church pastor Alexander Kalinin, the parishioners were recently informed that, despite the fact that a new building for worship that would suit parishioners has not been found, the House of Prayer will be demolished.

Recall that earlier the city authorities decided to demolish the mosque. The demolition case is pending before the European Court of Human Rights.

In February 2008, A. Kalinin told Interfax that the Ministry of Property and Land Relations of the Astrakhan Region offered the Pentecostals to use an unheated warehouse and an emergency building of a former kindergarten on the outskirts of the city as a prayer house. The community announced that from February 4, as a sign of protest, it will begin an indefinite hunger strike.

Sources

• In Astrakhan, the city authorities want to demolish not only the mosque, but also the House of Prayer of the Protestant Church of Jesus Christ // Slavic Legal Center. 2007. October 5.
• Astrakhan community of Protestants intends to declare an indefinite hunger strike // Interfax-religion. 2008. February 1.