Putin arrived at the Christmas service in the Simeonovsky Church in St. Petersburg
SAINT PETERSBURG, January 7. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in the Church of the Holy and righteous Simeon the God-receiver and Anna the Prophetess on moss street in St. Petersburg to participate in the Christmas service.
In addition to the ordinary members of the arrival of the President was not warned, the Simeon Church is a lot of journalists, including foreign media representatives. At the service attended by the Governor of St. Petersburg Georgy Poltavchenko, the head of the Central district of the city of Andrew Kluckow, businessman Vladimir Kekhman, who is the headman of the temple. Vladimir Putin joined the service after it started, around midnight. The President walked first into the lower temple, climbed the stairs, facing the front of the pulpit, and then lit a candle and stood in front of the Royal doors.
Putin regularly visits temples during major religious holidays. Press Secretary of the President Dmitry Peskov January 6, reported the radio station “Moscow speaking” that the head of state and this time will take part in the Christmas service, “traditionally it would not be in Moscow.” Where exactly the President will celebrate Christmas, the General public was not reported.
Putin, as a rule, meets Christmas outside Moscow — unlike Easter, which he usually celebrates in the temple of Christ the Savior. Last year the head of state arrived at the Christmas service in St. George monastery in Veliky Novgorod, in 2016 — in a rural Church of the Intercession of the blessed virgin Mary, located near Voronezh. Before two years during the Christmas service he came to the Church near Sochi — the temple not made by hands Image of Christ the Saviour, erected near the Olympic Park, and three-altar Church in honour of the mother of God Peschanskaya and Vladimir in the Trinity St. George monastery in the village of Forest Adler district.
Simeon Church is one of the oldest in St. Petersburg. A stone Church was in 1734, built on the orders of Empress Anna Ioannovna on the site of a wooden Church in 1714. In 1938 the Church was closed and subsequently looted. In the years 1951-1954 restored in the 1980-ies adapted to the meteorological Museum. In 1994 was returned to the diocese of St. Petersburg.
Abbot Simeon of the Church is Archpriest Oleg Skoblya, also known as a musician and poet. For ordination to the priesthood in 1990 Oleg Skoblo blessed Metropolitan St. Petersburg and Ladoga, John (Snychev). He subsequently gave his blessing to record the first songs and further creative activity. The first three albums of Oleg Gets was recorded with the participation of famous musicians, including Sergei Chigrakov (Chizh & Co) and Alexander Brovko (DDT).