The Primate of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan Familiarized Himself with the Updated Exhibitions of the Church-Archaeological Museum of the Petropavlovsk Diocese

April 29, 2026. Petropavlovsk. The Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, visited the church-archaeological museum of the Petropavlovsk Diocese, located on the grounds of the Church of All Saints.

The hierarch was accompanied by Archbishop Barsanuphius of Kokshetau and Akmola, Archbishop Vladimir of Petropavlovsk and Bulaevo, Secretary of the Diocesan Administration Archpriest Sergiy Pervushin, and Head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Head of the Metropolitan District Priest Georgiy Sidorov.

Together with the archpastors, the President of the public foundation “Eleos-Meirim,” V.M. Kapsamun, also arrived at the museum.

Before viewing the exhibitions, the guests familiarized themselves with the life of the All Saints parish, spoke with the key cleric, Priest Antoniy Shuvakin, as well as with clergy and church staff, after which they venerated the main shrine of the church – the myrrh-streaming Iveron Icon of the Mother of God – and performed a glorification of the feast of Pascha.

The tour of the church-archaeological museum was conducted by Archbishop Vladimir of Petropavlovsk and Bulaevo and Director V.A. Makhinya. The hierarch told those gathered that the first museum exhibition had been organized in accordance with the decisions of the Bishops’ Councils of the Russian Orthodox Church to preserve the memory of the new martyrs and confessors who suffered for the Orthodox faith in the 20th century.

“In the central exhibition of the museum are presented documents and photographs telling the history of the All Saints parish, items obtained during archaeological excavations, liturgical vessels and books, vestments and personal belongings of the hieromartyr Methodius, Bishop of Petropavlovsk and Akmola, and of the ever-memorable Metropolitan Joseph (Chernov) of Alma-Ata and Kazakhstan, who headed the Petropavlovsk see from 1956 to 1960. Among the exhibits are also artifacts reflecting the culture and everyday life of the Russian people,” Archbishop Vladimir noted.

The ruling hierarch of the Petropavlovsk Diocese informed the guests about the work carried out to renovate the museum building. “In the spring of last year, the parish decided to undertake reconstruction of the museum building, since it could no longer accommodate all the existing exhibits. In addition, the structure, built in the mid-20th century, had fallen into disrepair. Work began in May 2025. At present, the reconstruction has been completed, the museum collections have been updated, and new thematic sections have been created.”

During the visit, V.A. Makhinya introduced those present to the new exhibitions dedicated to the Second World War, as well as to the everyday life of the wartime period and the Soviet era.

Metropolitan Alexander, Archbishop Barsanuphius, and V.M. Kapsamun made entries in the book of honored guests, after which they thanked the ruling hierarch of the Petropavlovsk Diocese and the museum staff for the informative tour and their work in creating meaningful and well-designed exhibitions.