Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan Consecrated the Cross and Dome of the Church under Construction in the Village of Vladimirovka

October 12, 2025. Kostanay District, Kostanay Region.

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan visited the church under construction in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in the village of Vladimirovka.

This year, the settlement celebrates the 140th anniversary of its founding. The village was first mentioned in archival documents in 1885.

The Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan performed the rite of consecration of the dome and cross of the church dedicated to St. Nicholas.

Praying at the service were: Hieromonk Gennady (Burdyuzha), Secretary of the Kostanay Diocese Priest Andrey Krutin, Dean of the Kostanay Church District and Rector of the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in the city of Tobyl  clergy accompanying the Head of the Metropolis on the trip  clergy of the Kostanay Diocese  residents of Vladimirovka and nearby settlements.

Attending the consecration were: A.K. Zhunusova, Akim of the Vladimirovka Rural District  G.N. Ubei-Volk, Benefactor of the Church of St. Nicholas specialists responsible for the construction of the church.

After the prescribed prayers were read, Metropolitan Alexander sprinkled the cross with holy water.

As a blessing to the parish community of the Church of St. Nicholas, the archpastor presented sacred icons – “Christ the Great High Priest” and the Feodorovskaya Icon of the Queen of Heaven.

All those present received small icons of Blessed Matrona of Moscow, which had been blessed by Metropolitan Alexander on the relics of the saint in the Pokrovsky Monastery in Moscow.

The foundation of the Church of St. Nicholas in Vladimirovka was laid on June 1, 2025. On that day, with the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, the Secretary of the Kostanay Diocese, Hieromonk Gennady (Burdyuzha), performed the consecration of the cross and the foundation stone for the future church.

In essence, the event marked the revival of a shrine that had been destroyed during the godless persecutions. The first church in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was built here in 1899 and consecrated on June 1, 1900. During the Soviet era, the church was destroyed. The foundation of the new church is laid exactly on the site of the original one.

The new Church of St. Nicholas is being built with the support of benefactors and voluntary donations from the faithful.