Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan Consecrates the Newly Completed Murals of St. Sergius of Radonezh Church in Astana

July 5, 2026. Astana. The Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, performed the rite of consecration of the newly completed murals in the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh.

Praying during the service were: Secretary of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, Honored Worker of Kazakhstan and Russia O.N. Ovchinnikov; Dean of the Astana Church District Archimandrite Sergius (Karamyshev); the Dean’s Assistant Priest Sergius Dianov; staff members of the Astana Diocesan Administration; clergy; and parishioners of St. Sergius Church.

Metropolitan Alexander read the prescribed prayers and sprinkled the church vaults with holy water.

The painting of the church was completed over the course of three months. The walls were adorned with scenes from the life of St. Sergius of Radonezh, including the birth of the future saint; the blessing of the young Bartholomew (the saint’s baptismal name) by the elder; his ordination to the priesthood; the miraculous vision of the multitude of birds symbolizing his future disciples; the bringing forth of a spring through prayer; and the concelebration of the Divine Liturgy with an angel. The central element of the composition is the image of the Holy Trinity.

Following the consecration, the Head of the Metropolitan District thanked the Palekh iconographers, led by the renowned icon painter and member of the Union of Artists of Russia, V.K. Kurilov, for their dedicated work and invoked God’s blessing upon their future labors.

The Palekh iconographers from the town of Palekh (Ivanovo Region, Russia) had previously painted the vaults and walls of the Assumption Cathedral in Astana, the principal church of the Republic; the Church of Christ the Savior; St. Alexander Nevsky Church; St. Vladimir Church; St. Sophia Church; and the Chapel of St. Seraphim of Sarov at the Iveron-Seraphim Convent in Almaty. They also painted the Church of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Akmola in the village of Akmol (formerly Malinovka), St. Nicholas Church in the village of Malotimofeyevka in the Akmola Region, and the Church of St. John the Theologian in the city of Rudny (Kostanay Diocese). In total, more than 25,000 square meters of church walls in Kazakhstan have been adorned with frescoes created by the Palekh iconographers.

The Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh, consecrated on September 18, 2025, by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’, forms part of an architectural complex that also includes the Cathedral of All Saints Who Shone Forth in the Land of Kazakhstan and the Spiritual, Cultural, and Educational Center of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District.

This project, eagerly anticipated by many Orthodox faithful, received the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill. During a meeting between Metropolitan Alexander and the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, K.-J.K. Tokayev, the Head of State reviewed the project and expressed his support for the establishment of an Orthodox educational center and church in the capital. At the President’s instruction, the Astana city authorities allocated a land plot to the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District. Construction is currently progressing steadily with the support of benefactors.