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The Patriarch arrives in Arkhangelsk

Patriarch Kirill

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill today arrives in Arkhangelsk Oblast for a three-day visit, two of which will be spent on the holy Solovki islands.

Location

The visit also includes several church masses in Arkhangelsk city. He will also bless the site for the projected new cathedral in the city, a press release from the church reads. Solovki is among the most holy sites for the Russian Orthodox Church. Former Patriarch Aleksii himself visited the islands on several occasions. In 2001, he went to the island together with President Vladimir Putin. Tensions have for years strained relations between the Solovki monastery, the local population and the tourism industry at Solovki. The church has already got ownership rights over the second biggest island in the archipelago, the Anzer. The visit to Arkhangelsk and Solovki will be Kirill’s first since his appointment as patriarch earlier this year.