Russian soldiers de-mined XV century Orthodox Church in Aleppo

Russian mine-clearance specialists unmined the ancient Greek Orthodox Holy Assumption of the Virgin Mary Church in Aleppo. Its construction dates back XV century, as per IA Interfax.

Soldiers found burial places of the end of 19th – the beginning of the 20th century in the churchyard. These were graves of the Russian Empire diplomats. Consul Mikhail Yakimansky and State Counsellor Ivan Grigorovich were buried there.

According to the church supervisor Antoine Nakul, the terrorists chose the temple building as a target on purpose during their shooting attacks. The dome and walls were destroyed by the shells. When the members of radical organizations occupied the city, they looted the temple, burning the rarest icons and the Gospels. The priest noted that they managed to save a majority of relics, including icons of the Holy Mary and Jesus Christ.

The priest of the Holy Assumption of the Virgin Mary Church Hassan Vard remarked that these icons were brought from Russia as early as the beginning of the 18th century. They managed to hide them in a safe place before the terrorists broke into the temple.

The bell started to toll for the first time today after a long break. After the mine-clearance operations are over, the church building will be repaired and renovated.


Russkiy Mir