The Russian Orthodox Church wants to return the St. Isaac's Cathedral

The St. Petersburg Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church confirmed the application for the return of the building of the St. Isaac's Cathedral Museum-Museum.

“The diocese really sent an appeal to return to the gratuitous use of the building of the Isaacievsky Cathedral in accordance with applicable law,” TASS said today, July 23, the head of the communications sector at the diocesan information department Natalya Rodomanova.

Earlier, the director of the Museum-Monitor Nikolai Burov stated that he did not know anything about this. The Committee for Property Relations of St. Petersburg, which is transferred to the release of objects, reported that no appeals from the St. Petersburg diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church were received. “If it arrives, we will consider in the prescribed manner,” commented on the committee.

The deputy of the Legislative Assembly Maxim Reznik today said that he received information about the application from the Russian Orthodox Church “from sources that are quite competent”, which he is not entitled to disclose. “There should be an application from Metropolitan Barsonofia, the head of the St. Petersburg diocese to the governor or government of the city on the transfer of the Isaacievsky Cathedral to the ownership of the Russian Orthodox Church,” Reznik said.

The Cathedral of St. Isaac Dalmatian was built in 1819-1858, in 1948 it became a museum. In 1990, the first church service was held in the cathedral, now they are held regularly on holidays and Sundays.

Now the St. Isaac's Cathedral is owned by the city and is part of the State Museum-Museum along with the Savior-on-Blood, Sampsonievsky and Smolny Cathedrals. Smolny Cathedral is planned to be transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church.