OREANDA-NEWS. OAO Oil and Gas Company “RussNeft” lent support to reconstruction of one of the masterpieces of the Russian architecture of the end of the XIX - beginning of the XX centuries and a major regional spiritual center - Saint Michael cathedral in Izhevsk (Udmurtia).  His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexis II consecrated the reconstructed Saint Michael cathedral. Among the participants of the solemn ceremony there were: the president of the Republic of Udmurtia Alexander Volkov, representatives of administrative bodies, culture institutions, politicians.

The history of construction of Saint Michael cathedral tracks back to the year 1983. An extraordinary beautiful and majestic cathedral, built upon the project of the architect Ivan Charushin, was destroyed under the Soviet power, the rector of the cathedral and the ostiaries were arrested and later executed. In 2003 on the initiative of the president of the Republic of Udmurtia a decision was made to start reconstruction of Saint Michael cathedral. On May 19 the first stone in the foundation of the cathedral was laid.

OAO Oil and Gas Company “RussNeft” was one of the first companies to answer the appeal to render help in reconstructing Saint Michael cathedral. Construction and reconstruction of churches is an integral part of the oil holding’s social policy. With the help of the ex-president of “RussNeft”, Mikail Gutseriev, about 150 million rubles was assigned to construction of the cathedral. For his significant contribution to strengthening spirituality of the Russian people and help in reconstruction of the cathedral Mikail Gutseriev was decorated with the order of Russian Orthodox Church. Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexis II highly appraised the merits of the former president of “RussNeft” and mentioned that with Mikail Gutseriev’s sponsoring many Russian Orthodox temples and churches were erected and reconstructed.

The president of the Republic of Udmurtia underlined that it was only in Udmurtia that with “RussNeft”’s financial support there were erected the Cathedral of Kazan Holy Mother in the village of Balezino, Malo-Diveyevsky monastery in the village of Noria, Malopurginsky district, the Temple of Saint Royal Martyrs in Izhevsk, Temple of Saint Great Martyr Panteleimon in the village of Karakulino.