The Solovetskii monastery (Barentsphoto.com)
The Russian Minister of Culture today confirmed that the Russian Orthodox Church will be given supreme control over the archipelago of Solovki
According to Minister Mikhail Shvydkov, only a part of the island’s fortification structure will remain on the state hands. –We have to give the Church what belongs to the Church, from this we will only become better and more humane people, the minister said.
According to Itar-tass, the takeover of the island by the church was agreed upon in a meeting between Mr. Shvydkov and Patriarch Aleksii II last week.
Heated discussions have been going on for years on the island between the Church one the one hand and the local museum, the island population and the tourism industry on the other. While the Church has argued that the island, one of the most holy sites in the Russian North, should be transferred to the Church, the opponents have fought for their right to develop alternative industries on the island.
The Solovki consists of six islands of which the Big Solovetskii Island it the main and the site of the famous monastery. One of the islands, the Anzel, was transferred to the church few years ago.
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