A meeting between Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan and Russian Foreign Minister S.V. Lavrov took place at the Ascension Cathedral in Almaty

April 10, 2025. Almaty. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Viktorovich Lavrov, who is on a working visit to the southern capital of Kazakhstan, visited the historical and spiritual pearl of the country, the Ascension Cathedral, at the invitation of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan.

The delegation accompanying S.V. Lavrov : Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Kazakhstan A.N. Borodavkin; Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation M.Yu. Galuzin; Director of the Third Department of the CIS Countries A.V. Sternik; Director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry M.V. Zakharova; Director of the Foreign Policy Planning Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry A.Yu. Drobinin; Assistant to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation E.A. Izotova; Head of the Department of the Third Department of the CIS of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan; Consul General of the Russian Federation in Almaty D.A. Turaev.

The distinguished guest was met in the main church of the southern capital by the Primate 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 Russian Church Singing O.N. Ovchinnikov; Dean of the Astana Church District Archimandrite Sergiy (Karamyshev); Sacristan of the Ascension Cathedral, Head of the Public Relations Department of the Metropolitan District Archpriest Alexander Suvorov; Acting Rector of the Almaty Theological Seminary, Head of the Information Department of the Metropolitan District Archpriest Evgeny Ivanov; Head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Head of the Metropolitan District Priest Georgy Sidorov; Head of the Metropolitan's Protocol Service, Protodeacon Roman Golovin.

Metropolitan Alexander told Sergei Viktorovich about the history of the construction of the Ascension Cathedral, emphasizing that this year marks 30 years since the church was returned to its rightful owner, the Orthodox Church. Father Sacristan shared documentary evidence with his interlocutor that during the construction of the cathedral, erected according to the design of the talented architect, engineer A.P. Zenkov, innovative technologies and principles of seismic resistance for that era were used, thanks to which the cathedral survived the terrible earthquake of 1911, which destroyed almost all 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 sites of Kazakhstan of the presidential program "Rukhani Zhangyru".

During the tour, 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 supervision 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 reported 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."

S.V. Lavrov and the members of the delegation noted the elegance and grandeur of the temple's exterior and the beauty of the interiors, decorated with paintings made by talented Palekh icon painters under the guidance of a member of the Union of Artists of Russia V.K. Kurilova. Metropolitan Alexander said that modern icon painters used sketches by 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 Kazakhstani professional artist Abylkhan Kosteyev, after whom the state art museum in Alma-Ata is named.

The head of the Metropolitan District showed the participants of the excursion a gift from 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 Feodorovsky-Alma-Ata icon of the Holy Mother of God, an exact copy, "measure for measure", from the miraculous icon of the Queen of Heaven that appeared - S.V. Lavrov and the accompanying persons lit candles.

The conversation between the Head of the Metropolitan District and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation continued in the parish cathedral house. During the conversation, the upcoming Primate's visit to Kazakhstan of the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus', who will arrive in Astana at the invitation of the head of state K.-Zh.K. Tokayev to participate in the VIII Congress of World and Traditional Religions, was discussed. His Eminence shared with Sergey Viktorovich his memories of the Primate's visit to the main church of the Southern capital in 2010.

For the development of relations between the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and in connection with the 75th anniversary of his birth, Metropolitan Alexander awarded S.V. Lavrov the highest award of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District - the Order "Beibitshilik pen Kelisim" (Peace and Harmony). "Your rich diplomatic experience and remarkable personal qualities invariably help you successfully solve the difficult tasks that the department you currently head faces. Taking this opportunity, I would like to express my deep gratitude to you for your active support of the peacekeeping ministry of the Orthodox Church, as well as its educational activities in many countries. I hope that your ministry will continue to bear abundant fruit in the field of strengthening peace and harmony between countries and peoples," the archpastor noted, in particular, when presenting the award.

Sergey Viktorovich congratulated the Metropolitan on his 15th anniversary as Head of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District and 50th anniversary of church service, noting the special contribution of the Orthodox Church to strengthening spiritual, cultural and humanitarian ties between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan and thanked the Metropolitan for his personal contribution to the development of Russian-Kazakh cooperation. The Minister noted the importance of uniting the peacekeeping efforts of secular authorities and religious leaders against the backdrop of a tense socio-political situation and the escalation of international conflicts.

For the development of relations between the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District and the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Vladimirovna Zakharova was awarded the Order of the Holy Martyrs Vera, Nadezhda, Lyubov and Sophia - patronesses of Semirechye.

In memory of the visit to the temple, the guest was presented with a book-album about the Ascension Cathedral and the scientific work of Metropolitan Alexander - the book "History of Christianity in Central Asia". As a blessing for his work, the hierarch presented Sergei Viktorovich with an icon of the Ascension of the Lord. The Metropolitan noted that the image was made on a board of Tian Shan spruce, which was part of the window frames of the cathedral and remained after the restoration.

At the end of the meeting, which took place in a warm atmosphere, the Head of the Metropolitan District and the head of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs exchanged wishes for health and success in their work.