The church on Kukkovka will be decorated with Karelian stone

The construction of the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God on Kukkovka, which began in 2012 with donations from residents, is approaching its final stage. In recent years, the pace of work has increased significantly thanks to the support of citizens, philanthropists, as well as the authorities of the city and the republic.

On behalf of the Head of Karelia, Artur Parfenchikov, a working meeting was held between the vice-premierofthe republic, Oleg Ermolaev, and the rector of the church, Father Roman. Petrosoviet deputy Andrey Komkov, who helps the construction on a voluntary basis, also participated in the discussion.

The key decision of the meeting is to use Karelian stone for facing the entrance group, the floor and the surrounding area. According to Andrei Komkov, the stone is the property of the region: it was used to build St. Isaac's and Kazan Cathedrals, the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, and the Valaam Monastery. The material should become a symbol and a worthy completion of many years of folk construction.

The VicePrimeMinister proposed to attract business partners of the government of the republic who are ready to provide stone of different types and help with its installation. At the same time, the meeting participants stressed that the material should not only look beautiful, but also withstand the harsh conditions of the Karelian climate.

At the same time, issues of engineering infrastructure are being addressed. The authorities are helping to connect water, sewerage and heat supply to the temple. The heating unit is already ready: by winter it is planned to start heating and begin internal work.

Services in the church have been held in the lower room for several years — on some days more than a hundred people come to communion. Parishioners hope that in the summer they will be able to remove scaffolding. There is also a special goal: to show the renovated church to Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia during his visit to Petrozavodsk, dedicated to the 800thanniversaryof the baptism of the Karelians.