The case of the transfer of St. Isaac’s Cathedral terminated
Judge matusyak Tatyana has closed the case on the illegality of the orders of the Committee of property relations (KIO) on the use of St. Isaac’s Cathedral. The lawsuit was filed by lawyer Sergei Bakeshin 14 February, later it was merged with another lawsuit, among the initiators of which the Deputy of legislative Assembly Boris Vishnevsky.
The judge cited a similar claim was rejected in January by Vasileostrovsky district court. This decision was confirmed later the St. Petersburg city court.
Director GMP “Isaakievskiy Cathedral” Nikolai Burov retracted his statement, which was one of the grounds for the order. The Museum is ready to implement the statutory process of transfer of real estate, but after two and a half months since the issuing of the order, the action plan is not implemented, set primary terms of moving to a 24-month oral order changed the deadline until mid-April 2017, the document says. The Museum does not exclude recourse to the court with their own lawsuit, said his spokesman.
The Keogh plan provides for the liquidation of the Museum, said in court the representative of St. Isaac’s Cathedral.
According to him, the March 14 meeting of the Committee of culture the Museum was instructed to calculate the time and cost of removal of exhibits.
On the removal of all exhibits for Easter this year, out of the question, said the Boers early this week (quoted by TASS).
Immovable property assigned to public museums not operational control, may be removed by the owners only in case of use of the property for other purposes or in the event of liquidation of the Museum, said in the opinion that the Museum presented to the court. The defendant did not specify the circumstances of use of the property for other purposes. The building of St. Isaac’s Cathedral is itself a display object, the movement of museums out of their premises or use of the building (partially or fully) for other purposes is not allowed, according to the opinion, with reference to the instruction on accounting and storage of Museum values, approved by order of the Ministry of culture in July 1985
In addition to statements Burova the reason for the making of the order was, according to the KIO, a written statement of the Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate). However, official statements on the transfer of the Cathedral from the ROC in accordance with the law have been reported, said earlier in court the representative of the KIO. In the absence of this document the decision to transfer the Cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church cannot be accepted.
The Moscow Patriarchate said today that the question of applying for St. Isaac’s Cathedral continues to come from the approved plan. “We continue to act in accordance with the road map approved by the KIO. There was no change. Waiting for the decision of question about Museum values”, — quotes “Interfax” a source in the Patriarchate. Official statement on the Church the Church will be served only after the issue is resolved with Museum values, said in mid-February, the head of the legal service of the Patriarchate abbess Xenia (Chernega) (quoted by Interfax).