Vladivostok. On May 30, Archbishop Venyamin of Vladivostok and Primorye blessed the cornerstone/foundation of St. George the Conqueror temple on the Russian-Chinese border in the area of the auto passage "Sosnovyi Pad".
The construction site was chosen on the territory of the international trade complex situated on a high hill; the temple will be visible from afar on both the Chinese and Russian sides. The project was developed by "Promstoyniiproyekt" (A.V. Smolyaninov, Chief Architect). Per project, the timbered walls will be erected without using nails. The temple's height 17 meters; length - 18; width - 9. Five bells will ring from the belfry. Contractor: "Kosandra", a privately held company (A.A. Kosyachenko, president). Builders assure that the basic work on the temple will be finished by summer's end.
Construction participants are very proud of their mission; they believe more temples should be built, especially on the border. They say: "Let our temple's bell-ringing resound through all of "Suifenhe" (the Chinese city which has stretched out just beyond the fence).
In his sermon Archbishop Benjamin said: "I greet you on this joyous day! We placed a capsule in the base of the Holy Great Martyr St. George the Conqueror; may God grant that it will be built soon. A temple is the space where one goes to unburden the soul, to touch the sky. To stand under the temple's arches, even if you're an atheist; to admire the painting, the icons; to think about eternity.
Our heavenly father is absolute love, absolute good, truth and mercy. Man was created to constantly perfect himself and to draw closer to God... Moreover we build God's temple on the border with other peoples, ones with a different culture. We want to show our face. And here it is -- our face..."
Official representatives of the administration of the boundary region, construction companies, border guards and inhabitants of the Pogranichny (Frontier) settlement participated in the celebration. Clergy included the priests-in-charge of parishes in Yaroslavka, Pokrovka, and priests Sergiy Yakutov and Andrey Mashanov, representing the Vladivostok diocese. The guests were met by the Father Lev Kalachnikov, priest-in-charge of the Dormition of the Theotokos parish in the Pogranichny settlement.
Press office of the Vladivostok diocese/Sedmitza.Ru