First Deputy Director General of Russian Railways S. A. Pavlov Visits the Ascension Cathedral in Almaty

April 28, 2025 – Almaty. The historical and spiritual gem of Kazakhstan – the Ascension Cathedral – was visited by Sergey Alekseevich Pavlov, First Deputy Director General of Russian Railways, during his official trip to the southern capital.

At the cathedral, the distinguished guest was welcomed on behalf of the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, by the cathedral’s sacristan and head of the Metropolis Department for Public Relations, Protopriest Alexander Suvorov; the head of the metropolitan’s personal secretariat, Hieromonk Prokhor (Yendovitsky); and the head of the metropolitan’s protocol service, Protodeacon Roman Golovin.

Protopriest Alexander spoke with Sergey Alekseevich about the history of the cathedral’s construction, noting that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the temple’s return to its rightful owner – the Orthodox Church. He shared documentary evidence showing that the cathedral, built according to the design of the talented architect and engineer A. P. Zenkov, was constructed using innovative seismic-resistant technologies for its time. Thanks to these, the building withstood the devastating 1911 earthquake that destroyed nearly all structures in the city of Verny.

During the tour, the guests learned about the details of the large-scale professional restoration of the cathedral, carried out from 2017 to 2020 under the initiative and blessing of Metropolitan Alexander. The project was supervised by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Kazakhstan and UNESCO, and involved local scholars and highly qualified specialists from Russia, Serbia, Italy, Germany, and France.

Protopriest Alexander noted that during his visit to the cathedral, President Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich Tokayev, in a meeting with the Head of the Metropolis, gave high praise to this grand restoration project, calling it “the second birth of a national shrine of Kazakhstan.”

S. A. Pavlov and his delegation expressed admiration for the cathedral’s graceful and majestic exterior and the beauty of its interior. Before the cathedral’s sacred relics – including the icon of the “Image Not Made by Hands,” a gift from His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, and the Feodorovskaya–Almaty icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, a precise replica of the miraculous original – the First Deputy Director General of Russian Railways lit candles.

In recognition of his efforts on behalf of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, and with the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, Protopriest Alexander Suvorov presented Sergey Alekseevich Pavlov with a high award of the Metropolis – the “Yenbek Ushin” (For Labors) Order.

As a memento of his visit to the cathedral, the guest was presented with a commemorative album about the Ascension Cathedral of Almaty. Sergey Alekseevich thanked the clergy for the tour and conveyed his warmest regards to the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan.