
Russia: Lavrov and Patriarch Kirill I consecrate Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attended the consecration of the restored Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh at the Tsarskoye Selo museum complex in Pushkin, Leningrad on Monday. Taking a brief break from international affairs, Lavrov was in attendance to commemorate the 700th anniversary of the birth of St. Sergius of Radonezh.
Patriarch Kirill I of Moscow presented the church with various relics of St. Sergius. As Lavrov is the chairman of the Board of Trustees responsible for overseeing the restoration of the church, he was also gifted with a model of the spiritual leader.
The Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh was first consecrated in 1903, but following the Russian Revolution of 1917 the church was closed and its domes removed. It was then returned to the Russian Orthodox Church in 2012, resulting in its restoration.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attended the consecration of the restored Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh at the Tsarskoye Selo museum complex in Pushkin, Leningrad on Monday. Taking a brief break from international affairs, Lavrov was in attendance to commemorate the 700th anniversary of the birth of St. Sergius of Radonezh.
Patriarch Kirill I of Moscow presented the church with various relics of St. Sergius. As Lavrov is the chairman of the Board of Trustees responsible for overseeing the restoration of the church, he was also gifted with a model of the spiritual leader.
The Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh was first consecrated in 1903, but following the Russian Revolution of 1917 the church was closed and its domes removed. It was then returned to the Russian Orthodox Church in 2012, resulting in its restoration.