OREANDA-NEWS. On 23 December 2008 was announced, that in the Rozhdestveno village, the Valuiki District, a church was opened. The church dedicated to the Nativity of Christ, according to the overall opinion, is the best of all existing wooden churches in the Belgorod land.

It was built in just a year and a half at the request of the village people on the pattern of the church that from 1861 existed in the neighbouring Maslovka village, but in 1978 was destroyed by fire.

On 18 January, 2007, the sketch design was blessed by Archbishop of Belgorod and Starooskol John, and on 24 April a board of trustees was established. On 6 May, a symbolic stone was laid to celebrate the start of construction of the new church. The church was built of Altaic larch, pine and cedar. On 27 February, 2008, a cupola over its octagonal log construction and a tented roof over its dome were constructed. And today the church was opened. In the morning Lord John made the dedication ceremony of the new church and the divine service. Then a solemn ceremony took place, which gathered top managers of power companies of the Belgorod Region, representatives of the administration of the region and the district, heads of contracting organisations and the people themselves for whom the church was built: numerous inhabitants of Rozhdestveno and neighbouring villages.

In his presentation on behalf of Governor Evgeny Savchenko, Head of the Department of Construction, Transport and Housing and Public Utilities of the region Nikolai Kalashnikov celebrated the Valuiki people on the great event and said that each year the number of churches in the Belgorod land is increasing. The believers have obtained the possibility to live a full-fledged spiritual life: before this time the village dwellers had to go far beyond Rozhdestveno boundaries to take part in confession, communion and other sacraments. Now their religious advisor is church beneficiary priest Kirill Vovk.

General Director of IDGC of Centre, JSC Evgeny Makarov also congratulated the village dwellers and wished them all the best wishes. Deputy General Director – Director of Belgorodenergo, a branch of IDGC of Centre, JSC, Viktor Filatov remembered his childhood, “I remember when in the night the old church was burning, and the domes were collapsing in the fire. From that time I started to dream of rebirth of the church in our village. Today my wish has come true thanks to the efforts of Sozidanie fund, the board of trustees, numerous sponsors and the regional administration that contributed in every possible way to establishment and development of the village territories”.

 The builders and contractors were also thanked. StroiBusiness, JSC became the general contractor, Valuikistroiservice, ltd made the most part of general construction works and accomplishment of the adjacent territory, and Impuls, JSC made electric installation works and established the system of outdoor lighting. Belgorodenergo, a branch of IDGC of Centre, JSC provided electricity supply of the church.

Head of the Valuiki District Ivan Posokhov called this event an important stage in the growth and development of the social sphere of the region. “Opening of the church in Rozhdestveno will serve the affair of the communion of souls and spiritual education of the inhabitants of our district, as well as well-being and flourishing of the Belgorod land and all Russia”, said Ivan Posokhov.

In his welcome address Ivan Kossenkov, a dweller of the Rozhdestveno village, on behalf of his fellow-villagers thanked from all his heart all people who took part in the construction of the new church and said that in the nearest future a new school will appear due to the joint operations of these people.

“Today, in the threshold of Christmas, when all our Church is singing ‘Christ is being born, praise Him!’, the Rozhdestveno village honoured Christ by constructing a splendid church, a masterpiece of wooden architecture, the only presence of which will inspire all village dwellers, from baby to adult, under the principle ‘education by presence’. Fyodor Dostoyevsky wrote, ‘The beauty will save the world’, meaning the Divine Beauty, that finds its reflection in such marvelous masterpieces of our church art”, said Lord John. “Now the Rozhestveno village (‘Rozhdestveno’ is translated from Russian as ‘Christmas’ (adj)) has again justified its name”, the eparch stated. 

These days the Russian Orthodox Church is venerating the memory of late His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia. “One of the last documents signed by the Patriarch became the Decree on awarding Evgeny Makarov and Viktor Filatov by the orders of Saint Innocent, Metropolitan of Moscow and all Russia”, said the archbishop, handing out awards pursuant to the Patriarch’s Decree.