A Delegation of the Kuzbass Metropolis Visited the Holy Sites of Almaty

On July 2, 2025, a pilgrimage delegation of the Kuzbass Metropolis visited the holy sites of Almaty.

The delegation included: Vicar of the Kemerovo Diocese, Bishop Daniil of Guryevsk; Secretary of the Kemerovo Diocesan Administration, Protopriest Dmitry Moshkin; and Rector of the Kuzbass Orthodox Theological Seminary, Priest Andrey Moyarenko.

The tour of the southern capital’s sacred sites began with a visit to the Ascension Cathedral – a historical and architectural monument of Kazakhstan.

With the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, the tour of the main cathedral of Almaty was conducted by the keyholder of the cathedral and Head of the Department of Public Relations of the Metropolis, Protopriest Alexander Suvorov.

Father Alexander told the guests about the history of the cathedral’s construction, highlighting the uniqueness of its architecture, its historical significance, and its importance in the spiritual life of the city. He spoke in detail about the large-scale professional restoration of the cathedral carried out from 2017 to 2020. It was noted that all restoration work was conducted under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Kazakhstan and UNESCO, with the participation of high-level professionals from Kazakhstan, Russia, Serbia, Italy, Germany, and France. Protopriest Alexander emphasized that the Ascension Cathedral is included in the list of 100 National Sacred Sites of Kazakhstan under the presidential program Rukhani Zhangyru.

The representatives of the Kuzbass Metropolis noted the elegance and grandeur of the cathedral’s exterior and the beauty of its interior, adorned with frescoes painted by talented Palekh iconographers under the direction of V.K. Kurilov, a member of the Union of Artists of Russia. At the conclusion of their visit, the pilgrims lit candles before the cathedral’s relics.

Continuing their tour, the guests visited the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia. The delegation members offered prayers before the relics of the heavenly patron of Kazakhstan – the Holy Confessor Nicholas, Metropolitan of Almaty – and venerated the relics preserved in the city’s oldest church, including reliquaries of the Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon, Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, and the Great Martyr Barbara. The Dean of the Almaty Church District and Rector of the Cathedral, Protopriest Valery Zakharov, spoke about the life of the parish, the work of the Central Sunday School, the activities of the charitable organization Mercy, and the projects of the pilgrimage department.

The delegation also visited the Iveron–Seraphim Women’s Monastery in Almaty. The guests visited the monastery’s main church – the Sophia Cathedral – which houses great Orthodox relics: the relics of the Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon, the Martyrs Vera, Nadezhda, Lyubov, and their mother Sophia, Blessed Eldress Matrona of Moscow, the Martyr Agatha of Panormos, as well as the tomb of the widely venerated Elder Saint Metropolitan Joseph (Chernov).

At the end of the pilgrimage, Bishop Daniil, on behalf of the delegation members, asked that words of gratitude be conveyed to Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan through Protopriest Alexander Suvorov, and expressed hope for continued cooperation between the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan and the Kuzbass Metropolis.