The existing Russian Orthodox Church will be closed in Sochi

On September 17, the North Caucasian Human Rights Center issued a press release on the closure of the existing ROC church in honor of the Royal Passion-Bearers on the territory of the Chemitokvadzhe military sanatorium in Sochi. On September 12, the sanatorium was visited by Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, who gave a verbal order to dismantle the temple and evict the priest from the occupied house.

On September 13, the rector of the temple of Hieromonk Lazar (Semenov) was summoned to the head of the sanatorium, who explained that he had received an order by phone from the commander-in-chief of the Air Force Alexander Zelin about the need to dismantle the temple within a month.

If the minister's order is carried out, the ROC-affiliated human rights center "reserves the right to hold mass protests," the press release says.

Sources

• The military command gave the order to dismantle the existing church of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate on the territory of a military sanatorium in Sochi, says the rector of the temple // Portal-Credo.ru. 2009. September 18.