800 million to Solovki restoration
Repair workers will have a busy season at one of the most spectacular monasteries in northern Russia.
Russia’s Ministry of Culture has granted 800 million rubles (€17 million) for repair and restoration work at the Solovetsky monastery in the White Sea. The funding is for this year, and workers are already onsite.
12 different sites of the monastery are listed on the 2014 action plan for restoration. The monastery consists of the main buildings and several more remote located buildings and historical sites on the main island of the archipelago.
The restoration of the monastery started in the early 90ies, but the real boost in repair work has happened over the last few years. Work this summer will concentrate on the cookery house, the Trinity Cathedral, the steeple, the meal cellars, rectory and episcopal body, reports Interfax.
The monastery, established in 1436, was in pre-Soviet times considered to be one of the most holy places in northern Russia. The monastery was listed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1992. Walking around the monastery, in the water front area, in the village or to the different churches on the island is truly a walk in history.
Another 123 million rubles are granted (€2,6 million) from Russia’s Federal investment program targeted for reconstruction of the Solovki State Historical and Architectural Museum. The museum, considered to be one of the largest in Russia, holds more than a thousand objects of cultural heritage.
