“Today is a great day, which will enter the history of our region as a key event”, Kovtun said in a ceremony on Tuesday. Together with regional Archbishop Simon and Deputy Commender in Chief of the Northern Fleet Anatoly Minakov, she laid a holy capsule into the foundation of the building. The capsule contained soil from the site where the Tsarist family was killed in 1918, the Murmansk regional administration informs.
The new cathedral will be more than 50 meter high and cover an area of 2845 square meters. It will be located on a hill above Murmansk downtown, next to the existing Seaman`s church. The building is to be completed in 2016 before the 100 years anniversary of the City of Murmansk.
“The foundation of this cathedral is a major event for all inhabitants of the Kola Peninsula, however especially important for Navy sailors, for all the ones who work at sea and for the ones who wait for them at home”, Navy representative Minakov said, a press release from the Northern Fleet reads.
The Russian Orthodox Church has for more than 20 years worked for the construction of the cathedral. It will be built with funding collected from public sources.
In a promotion video, the project developers highlight the cathedral’s role also in “promoting Russia’s national interests in the Arctic” and in helping Russia make “new great achievements” in the region.
