St. Isaac’s Cathedral
Vasileostrovsky district court of St. Petersburg refused to consider administrative action to the Committee of property relations of the legality of the Saint Isaac’s Cathedral Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). On Friday, 27 January, reports TASS.
As noted in the court documents, the formal decision of the city authorities is still pending, “and approved the action plan is not a substitute and cannot substitute for decisions about the transfer”. The ruling may be appealed within 15 days.
As reported by RIA Novosti, one of the authors of the claim, the Deputy of city Parliament Boris Vishnevsky, activists will Lodge an appeal against the refusal in the beginning of next week, and will also appeal to the Prosecutor of St. Petersburg. “We (…) believe that the judge’s ruling illegal. Such issues should be decided in an adversarial court process, and not personally by the judge,” he said.
Living in St. Petersburg, activists say illegal disposal of the Committee of property relations of December 30, 2016, concerning the use of St. Isaac’s Cathedral. In their opinion, it is, in particular, violates the right of citizens to access to cultural values and favorable habitat.
On 10 January the authorities of St.-Petersburg has made the decision to transfer to St. Isaac’s Cathedral, the Russian Orthodox Church. According to the Governor of the city Georgy Poltavchenko, the Museum’s function is fully preserved.
St. Petersburg diocese first approached the administration of the Northern capital with the request for the transfer of St. Isaac’s Cathedral in 2015. The city government denied the Church. Against this initiative were made by the head of the Museum complex Nikolay Burov.
The Cathedral of St. Isaac of Dalmatia is the largest Orthodox Church in St. Petersburg. It has the status of a Museum, while it hosts daily worship.