Consecration of Crosses

Mounting of cross on the main cupola of the cathedral

The cathedral in honor of Archangel Mikhail with the side-chapels in honor of Saint Nikolay the Wonderworker and Dimitry of Rostov was constructed in the village of Merkushino some 200 years ago. Along with the Saint Simeon church it formed a unique architectural complex: two cathedrals connected by means of a gallery stood at the high bank of the Tura-river as shining lighthouses leading travellers through the boundless expanses of Siberia. Like most Russian cathedrals, that complex was destroyed during Soviet times. The restoration of the Simeon church was accomplished in 1997, and the second foundation of the Archangel Mikhail cathedral took place on May 25, 2001. Since then the walls of the cathedrals have been erected, the cupolas have been mounted, the gallery has been re-constructed.

Archbishop Vikenty at the ceremony of consecration of crosses

Today after the Divine Liturgy, Vikenty, Archbishop of Ekaterinburg and Verkhoturye, sanctified seven crosses made in the Byzantian style for the Archangel Mikhail cathedral. Six of them were mounted immediately after the ceremony of consecration, and the last one will be lifted up to the bell-tower in the near future. It is symbolic that the crosses were consecrated on the day of commemoration of apostle Andrey the First-Called who, preaching the Gospels, reached the borders of Russia and hoisted his cross on the Kiev mountains with the prophecy that the grace of God will spread on that spot and the whole country will be enlighted with the truth of Christ, our God.

Also look:
— Photos of the consecration of crosses