Minister of Sports of the Russian Federation Mikhail Degtyarev Visits the Ascension Cathedral in Almaty

February 22, 2025 – Almaty. The Ascension Cathedral, a historical and spiritual treasure of Kazakhstan, was visited by Mikhail Vladimirovich Degtyarev, Minister of Sports of the Russian Federation, who is on an official visit to the southern capital of the Republic.

By the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, the guest was welcomed in the main church of Almaty by Protopriest Alexander Suvorov, Sacristan of the Cathedral and Head of the Public Relations Department of the Kazakhstani Metropolitan District; Priest Georgy Sidorov, Head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Metropolitan District; and Protodeacon Roman Golovin, Head of the Metropolitan’s Protocol Service.

Protopriest Alexander introduced the Russian minister to the history of the Ascension Cathedral, emphasizing that this year marks 30 years since the return of the cathedral to its rightful owner—the Orthodox Church. The sacristan shared historical documents detailing the construction of the cathedral, which was designed by the talented architect and engineer A.P. Zenkov. He highlighted the innovative seismic-resistant construction techniques used at the time, which enabled the cathedral to withstand the devastating earthquake of 1911, an event that destroyed almost all buildings in the city of Verny.

During the tour, the Russian minister was informed about the comprehensive professional restoration of the cathedral, which was carried out under the initiative and blessing of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan from 2017 to 2020. The restoration was supervised by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Kazakhstan and UNESCO, with the involvement of local scholars and high-level specialists from Russia, Serbia, Italy, Germany, and France.

Protopriest Alexander also noted that during a visit to the cathedral, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev highly praised this ambitious restoration project, calling it “the second birth of Kazakhstan’s national shrine.”

Mikhail Degtyarev expressed admiration for the grandeur and elegance of the cathedral’s exterior as well as the beauty of its interiors. Before the holy relics of the church—including the gift of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, the icon of the “Holy Mandylion of Our Lord Jesus Christ”, and the gift of Metropolitan Alexander, the Theodorovskaya-Almaty Icon of the Mother of God, an exact replica “measure for measure” of the miraculous revealed icon of the Queen of Heaven—the minister lit candles in prayer.

As a memento of his visit to the cathedral, the guest was presented with an album about the Ascension Cathedral. Mikhail Vladimirovich thanked the clergy for the tour and conveyed his best wishes to the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan.