The director of the Hermitage asked the Patriarch to suspend the program of Isaacor of the Russian Orthodox Church

The General Director of the Hermitage Mikhail Piotrovsky sent a letter to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' with a request to temporarily withdraw the petition of the St. Petersburg diocese on the transfer of the Isaac's Cathedral to the introduction of the Russian Orthodox Church. This is stated in the message posted on the website of the Union of Museums of Russia.

The alleged transfer of the cathedral caused a contradictory reaction in society, provoked public conflicts and the confrontation of people with different attitude to this problem, the message says.

At the moment, the Russian Orthodox Church has transmitted almost all temples and other structures necessary for the revival of a full religious life in Russia and today we are talking about a few objects that have significant, special importance not only for the Church, but for the entire multi -confessional, multinational Russian society, is emphasized in the document.

The temporary review of the request of the diocese, according to the director of the Hermitage, will stop the public confrontation and find the most wise and fair solution, since "the world in the souls of people and consent in society is more important than any property."

On Thursday, it became known that the Vasileostrovsky District Court of St. Petersburg registered a collective administrative lawsuit against the Committee of Property Relations (Kio) of the city on the recognition of an illegal order that allows the temple to use the Russian Orthodox Church.

As RIA Novosti clarifies, referring to the materials of the court, 20 people acted as administrative plaintiffs, including deputies of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg Boris Vishnevsky and Alexander Kobrinsky. The Committee on Culture of St. Petersburg, the Russian Orthodox Church in the person of the Moscow Patriarchate and the State Museum of the St. Isaac's Cathedral were involved as interested parties.

As Vishnevsky previously reported, activists dispute the orders of the Kio of December 30, 2016 "On the use of a real estate object at the address: St. Petersburg, Isaakievskaya Square, 4, the letter A" with the application, as well as the actions of the city property department for the publication of this order.

According to the applicants, the actions of the Kio violate their right to “access and the safety of the cultural heritage object”, as well as the right to participate in cultural life, including the right to familiarize with cultural values ​​and the right to humanitarian and art education in terms of self -education. The applicants also consider their right to a favorable habitat, which is ensured, among other things, by compliance with the legislation on the protection of cultural heritage objects.

On January 10, the Governor of St. Petersburg Georgy Poltavchenko announced the transfer of the Council of the Russian Orthodox Church. At the same time, he promised that the access of visitors to the cathedral would remain unlimited, and the further maintenance of the building would be maintained at the expense of clergy. Meanwhile, on January 11, the head of the legal service of the Moscow Patriarchate of Igumen Ksenia (Chernoga) said that the Russian Orthodox Church awaits subsidies for the maintenance of the cathedral . “Since this is the UNESCO object, perhaps city subsidies should be involved,” Igumena noted.

On January 12, it became known that the St. Isaac's Cathedral will be transferred to the free use of the Russian Orthodox Church for a period of 49 years. The contract must be concluded with the Russian Orthodox Church no later than two years after the signing of the order, that is, until the end of 2018. Prior to this, an inventory of all museum funds should be carried out.

The St. Petersburg Union of Scientists opposed the transfer of the ROC Cathedral. "Built in the middle of the 19th century at the expense of the state treasury, the St. Isaac's Cathedral never belonged to the church itself. It was not necessary to rush from extreme: during the years of totalitarianism, temples were destroyed, now they began to transfer the cathedrals that have long become museums. Museums belonging to the city, which are historical and cultural monuments of global significance and its" visiting card ", should remain secular state state In the case of the St. Isaac's Cathedral - “Double -purpose,” the text of the statement says.

At the same time, the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg accepted the Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky with a request to ensure the speedy transfer of the cathedral. The draft document was supported by 41 deputies, eight voted against, one abstained. The appeal did not support the parliamentary factions of Yabloko, the Party of Growth and Just Russia. Already after the vote in the hall there was a brawl between unicorn and the deputy from the "apple" Mikhail Amosov.