December 6, 2024 – Almaty. Vladimir Rostislavovich Medinsky, Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation, visited the Ascension Cathedral, a historical and spiritual treasure of Kazakhstan, located in Almaty.
The distinguished guest was welcomed at the main church of Almaty by Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan.
The meeting was attended by: Deputy Akim of Almaty, A.E. Abdykadyrov; Consul General of the Russian Federation in Almaty, D.S. Turaev; the Dean of the Ascension Cathedral and Head of the Metropolitan District’s Public Relations Department, Archpriest Alexander Suvorov; the Head of the Metropolitan’s Administrative Secretariat, Priest Georgy Sidorov; and the Metropolitan’s Protocol Officer, Protodeacon Roman Golovin.
Metropolitan Alexander shared with Vladimir Rostislavovich the history of the cathedral’s construction, emphasizing that this year marks the 120th anniversary of its foundation. The Metropolitan highlighted documentary evidence showing that the cathedral, designed by the talented architect and engineer A.P. Zenkov, was built using innovative seismic-resistant technologies for its time. This engineering feat enabled the cathedral to withstand the devastating 1911 earthquake, which destroyed 90% of the buildings in the city of Verny (modern-day Almaty).
During the conversation, the Metropolitan discussed the historical significance of the cathedral in the contemporary life of Almaty and noted its inclusion in the list of 100 National Sacred Sites of Kazakhstan as part of the presidential program Rukhani Zhangyru (“Spiritual Revival”).
The archpastor also elaborated on the details of the comprehensive restoration of the cathedral, carried out from 2017 to 2020 under the supervision of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Culture and UNESCO. The project involved leading scholars and experts from Kazakhstan, Russia, Serbia, Italy, Germany, and France. The restoration utilized cutting-edge technology and high-quality modern materials to preserve this unique historical and cultural monument, which serves as a national symbol.
The Metropolitan informed the Assistant to the President that President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev had visited the cathedral and praised the grand restoration project, calling it the “rebirth of Kazakhstan’s national shrine.”
V.R. Medinsky expressed admiration for 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 Russian Artists’ Union. Metropolitan Alexander explained that the modern iconographers based their work on sketches by Nikolai Gavrilovich Khludov, a renowned iconographer and artist who had contributed to the cathedral’s decoration. Khludov was also a mentor to Abilkhan Kasteyev, Kazakhstan’s first professional artist, after whom the National Museum of Arts in Almaty is named.
The Metropolitan shared with V.R. Medinsky his memories of the visits of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia to Astana and Almaty in 2010 and 2012. The Metropolitan showed the guests a gift from the Patriarch to mark the 25th anniversary of the cathedral’s return to the faithful: an icon of the “Holy Mandylion of Christ.”
Before another sacred relic of the cathedral—the Feodorovskaya-Almaty Icon of the Mother of God, an exact replica of the miraculous image of the Queen of Heaven—V.R. Medinsky lit candles.
As a memento of his visit, the guest received a beautifully designed album about the Ascension Cathedral, an artistic plaque depicting the cathedral, a scholarly work by Metropolitan Alexander titled The History of Christianity in Central Asia, and a 2025 calendar of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan.
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