The Ministers of Culture of Kazakhstan and Russia visited the Ascension Cathedral in Almaty

March 10, 2024. Alma-Ata. The historical and spiritual pearl of Kazakhstan - the Ascension Cathedral - was visited by the Minister of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan Aida Galymovna Balaeva and the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Olga Borisovna Lyubimova.

The guests were met in the main church of the southern capital by the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan.

The meeting was attended by: Secretary of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, Honored Artist of Russia, member of the Patriarchal Council for the Development of Church Singing O.N. Ovchinnikov; Head of the Information and Publishing Department of the Metropolitan District, Acting Rector of the Alma-Ata Theological Seminary, Archpriest Evgeny Ivanov; Head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Head of the Metropolitan District, Priest Georgy Sidorov, Assistant to the Metropolitan P.V. Sokolov; from the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation - Assistant Minister R.R. Abiev.

Metropolitan Alexander told the Russian minister about the history of the construction of the Ascension Cathedral, emphasizing that this year marks 120 years since the start of its construction. The Metropolitan shared with his interlocutors documentary evidence that during the creation of the cathedral, erected according to the design of the talented architect - engineer A.P. Zenkov, innovative technologies and principles of seismic resistance were used for that era, thanks to which the cathedral survived the terrible earthquake of 1911, which destroyed 90% of the buildings in the city of Verny.

During the conversation, the hierarch noted the historical role and significance of the temple in the modern life of the southern capital and mentioned that the cathedral is included in the list of 100 national sacred objects of Kazakhstan under the presidential program “Rukhani Zhangyru”.

During the excursion, the archpastor dwelt in detail on the details of the full-scale professional restoration of the temple, which was carried out from 2017 to 2020 under the control of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Kazakhstan and UNESCO, with the involvement of local scientists and high-level specialists from Russia, Serbia, Italy, Germany and France. According to the archpastor, advanced technologies and high-quality modern materials were used in the restoration of the unique historical and cultural monument - the country’s calling card.

The head of the Metropolitan District said that the President of the country, Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich Tokayev, when visiting the cathedral, highly appreciated this grandiose restoration project, calling it “the second birth of the national shrine of Kazakhstan.”
O.B. Lyubimova noted the grace and grandeur of the external appearance of the temple and the beauty of the interiors, decorated with paintings made by talented Palekh isographers under the leadership of member of the Union of Artists of Russia V.K. Kurilova. Metropolitan Alexander said that modern isographers used sketches of Nikolai Gavrilovich Khludov, a famous icon painter and artist who worked on decorating the interiors of the cathedral and one of the teachers of the first Kazakh professional artist Abylkhan Kosteev, after whom the State Museum of Art in Almaty is named.

The hierarch and Minister of Culture of Kazakhstan shared with the Russian guest their memories of the visit of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' to Astana and Alma-Ata in 2010 and 2012. The Metropolitan showed the excursion participants the gift of the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church for the 25th anniversary of the return of the Ascension Cathedral to believers - the icon “The Image of the Lord Jesus Christ Not Made by Hands.”

In front of another shrine of the temple - the Feodorov-Alma-Ata image of the Blessed Virgin Mary, an exact list, “measure in moderation”, from the miraculous Jonah of the Queen of Heaven - the ministers lit candles.

As a souvenir of her visit to the temple, the guest was presented with an album about the Ascension Cathedral and an artistically executed plaque with its image.

During the conversation that took place after the excursion, Metropolitan Alexander told Olga Borisovna and Aida Galymovna about the life of the Metropolitan District. The archpastor noted that this year the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Astana and Alma-Ata diocese, and as part of the celebration of the memorable date, a number of spiritual, educational and cultural events will be held.

Oleg Nikolaevich Ovchinnikov shared with the guest information about the activities of the leading singing group of the Republic of Kazakhstan - the choir of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, which he has headed since 2010. The maestro noted that the metropolitan choir received the Grand Prix of the XXXVII international festival “Haynow Days of Church Music” in Poland and regularly takes part in prestigious music forums and performs at famous concert venues in Kazakhstan and abroad.

Metropolitan Alexander and the ministers of culture of Kazakhstan and Russia discussed the prospects for cooperation and the implementation of joint projects that will be of interest to Kazakhstanis and Russians.

The meeting took place in a friendly atmosphere.