
Assistant to the President of Russia V.R. Medinsky visited the Ascension Cathedral of the Southern capital
- 06.12.2024, 19:08
- Новости на английском языке

December 6, 2024. Almaty. Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Rostislavovich Medinsky visited the historical and spiritual pearl of Kazakhstan - the Ascension Cathedral.
The guest was met in the main church of the Southern capital by the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan.
The meeting was attended by: Deputy Akim of Almaty A.E. Abdykadyrov, General Consul of the Russian Federation in the Southern capital D.S. Turaev; the key keeper of the Ascension Cathedral, head of the public relations department of the Metropolitan District, Archpriest Alexander Suvorov; head of the administrative secretariat of the Head of the Metropolitan District, Priest Georgy Sidorov, head of the protocol service of the Metropolitan, Protodeacon Roman Golovin.
Metropolitan Alexander told Vladimir Rostislavovich about the history of the construction of the Ascension Cathedral, emphasizing that this year turns 120 years since the beginning of its construction. His Eminence shared with his interlocutor documentary evidence that, during creation of the cathedral, erected according to the design of the talented architect - engineer A.P. Zenkov. Innovative technologies unusual for that era and principles of seismic resistance were used, thanks to which the cathedral survived the terrible earthquake of 1911, which destroyed 90% of the buildings in the city of Verny.
During the conversation, the hierarch noted the historical role and significance of the temple in the modern life of the southern capital and mentioned that the cathedral is included in the list of 100 national sacred sites of Kazakhstan of the presidential program "Rukhani Zhangyru".
During the tour, the archpastor dwelt in particular on the details of the full-scale professional restoration of the temple, which was carried out from 2017 to 2020 under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Kazakhstan and UNESCO, with the involvement of local scientists and high-level specialists from Russia, Serbia, Italy, Germany and France. According to the archpastor, advanced technologies and high-quality modern materials were used in the restoration of the unique historical and cultural monument - the country's calling card.
The head of the Metropolitan District reported that the President of the country Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich Tokayev, during visitation of the cathedral, highly appreciated this grandiose restoration project, calling it "the second birth of the national shrine of Kazakhstan."
V.R. Medinsky noted the elegance and grandeur of the temple's exterior and the beauty of the interiors, decorated with paintings made by talented Palekh icon painters under the guidance of a member of the Union of Artists of Russia V.K. Kurilov. Metropolitan Alexander said that modern icon painters used sketches by Nikolai Gavrilovich Khludov, a famous icon painter and artist who worked on decorating the interiors of the cathedral and one of the teachers of the first Kazakhstani professional artist Abylkhan Kosteyev, after whom the state art museum in Alma-Ata is named.
The head of the Metropolitan District shared with the Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation his memories of the visit to Astana and Alma-Ata of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' in 2010 and 2012. The Metropolitan showed the participants of the excursion a gift from the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church for the 25th anniversary of the return of the Ascension Cathedral to believers - the icon "The Image of the Lord Jesus Christ Not Made by Hands".
In front of another shrine of the temple - the Feodorovsky-Alma-Ata icon of the Holy Mother of God, an exact copy, "measure for measure", of the miraculous icon of the Queen of Heaven that appeared - V.R. Medinsky lit candles.
In memory of his visit to the temple, the guest was presented with an album about the Ascension Cathedral, an artistic plaque with its image, the scientific work of Metropolitan Alexander - the book "History of Christianity in Central Asia" and the calendar of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan for 2025.