Photo: pixabay.com
Russian diplomats in Croatia want to restore the only Russian Orthodox church in the country, TASS reports. According to Ambassador Anvar Azimov, the church was built in the 20’s of the last century by immigrants who were forced to leave Russia after the October Revolution.
The Church of St. Nicholas is located on the seafront in the town of Crikvenica, built at the expense of Alexandra Gartvig, the widow of Russian Ambassador Nikolai Gartvig, who served in Belgrade.
A lot of tourists from our country go the city for vacations. They are interested in a beautiful building, but the church does not work, Head of the diplomatic mission explained.
Russia wants to preserve this historical monument. Serbian Orthodox Church does not have the means to rebuild the temple. Its condition can be called an emergency today. The roof is leaking, many murals and icons are damaged. The dome may collapse at any time.
The Embassy would like to start raising funds for the repair and reconstruction of the church and seek help from patrons and charitable foundations. Serbian Orthodox Church agrees to hold services for compatriots there, and priests can be invited from Serbia, Slovenia or Italy.
Even for a small repair they need at least 100,000 euros. To restore the temple entirely, it requires an investment of even greater funds. Ambassador is sure that if the church is not repaired in the very near future, the descendants will not forgive it.
Russkiy Mir
