on Christmas night, Vladimir Putin visited the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral in St. Petersburg. It’s a tradition, the third time the President spends Christmas exactly where he was baptized. After the service he addressed the parishioners with greetings.
Believers come to the temple long before the beginning of the service. Go one by one and in pairs many families with children.
“With their birthday we always go to temples, so they night-life well tolerated. And with this temple we have a special relationship, here we are friends-the Cossacks,” says the parishioner Ivan Andrianov.
the Transfiguration is not the main Cathedral of St. Petersburg, but one of the oldest, it was founded at the behest of Elizabeth to commemorate the ascension of Empress on the throne with the help of soldiers and officers of the Preobrazhensky regiment.
Fence of the Cathedral consists of captured Turkish cannons taken from the walls of Ishmael and Varna; all of these guns here 102. They are muzzle down and chained up in a sign that more will never participate in wars.
Peace, kindness and harmony believers wish each other on this night.
“We start Christmas day with good positive thoughts, good deeds, mutual, spiritual love,” says Irina Porechenkova.
the Service starts, and soon the temple out. It was the third time celebrating the holiday of Christmas in the Holy Transfiguration Cathedral, and there is a special reason: it is here christened Vladimir Putin when he was a month old. The priest (according to some, it was the father of Patriarch Kirill, the priest Mikhail Gundyaev), suggested to name the baby Michael, but knowing that he has already chosen another name, pointed to the icon of Prince Vladimir and said that the Holy child is the patron Saint.
Put candles, Vladimir Putin ranks among the Sunday school students. During the service the left of the President played a touching scene: a girl Barbara pats another on the head.
– This girl is cute, I liked it. I think she also liked that I did all the time was stroking.
-And the President liked it, he looked at you and smiled.
– to Smile? Yes? I haven’t seen, thanks for the commit.
the Dean of the Cathedral Nikolay Brynden makes a small pause in the Liturgy and gives the floor to the President, who congratulated all on a holiday. Parishioners in return also congratulate the President.
Amazing home atmosphere Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral unites and rallies; the face of accomplishing the miracle of Christmas all the same.
