Plan to hand control of St Petersburg cathedral to church sparks outcry ukguardian

Opponents fear restricted access and loss of funds for maintenance if St Isaac’s Cathedral leaves state hands


More than 160,000 people have signed a petition against a decision to hand over the running of a popular tourist attraction in St Petersburg from the state to the Russian Orthodox church.


Built between 1818 and 1858, St Isaac’s Cathedral was the most important cathedral in Russia until the Soviets stripped it of its religious trappings in the 1930s and installed an anti-religion museum inside. Regular worship resumed after the fall of communism, with space reserved inside for educational facilities, exhibitions and classical music concerts.


The Unesco world heritage site now attracts more than 3 million visitors annually, drawn to its spectacular interior and an observation deck around the base of its golden dome that offers the best view of the landmarks and canals of Russia’s “Venice of the North”. It also hosts a permanent exhibition on the Leningrad blockade in the second world war.


The petition on Change.org argues that transferring management of the cathedral from Russia’s state museum organisation to the church could result in non-worshippers facing restricted access.


On Wednesday police prevented protesters from unfurling banners reading “Not the Russian Orthodox church” in front of the cathedral. Another protest is planned for Friday evening.


Speaking after a meeting with the head of the Russian Orthodox church this week, St Petersburg’s governor, Georgy Poltavchenko, said the state would give St Isaac’s to the church to run but that the “cathedral will preserve its museum and educational function”. The city said the transfer agreement would cover a period of 49 years.
City authorities have previously refused requests to hand over the cathedral to the church, which has enjoyed increased influence during Vladimir Putin’s presidency. The church has received 184 buildings from the state since 2015, TV Rain reported on Friday.
Church officials have pledged that tourist activities will continue, but opponents of the move doubt that the promises can be kept. Boris Vishnyovsky, a city council member, said he would challenge the decision in court.

A statement by the Museums Union of Russia said a handover of control would result in the “liquidation of one of the most successful museums” in the country.

Nikolai Burov, director of the state museum organisation, told the local publication 812 Online that the transfer would lead to the “destruction of the museum in its current form as a museum complex” and put employees out of work.

Burov raised concerns that the church would not be able to maintain St Isaac’s, which requires near-constant renovations and employs a staff of 393 people. In 2015 alone, 200 million roubles (£2.7m) was spent on renovations.

Under the church’s control, the cathedral would lose most of its income as it would not be allowed to charge an admission fee, according to Vishnyovsky.