Nevzorov: St. Isaac's Cathedral is a supermarket. Nevzorov: The capture of Isaac is a very long-standing dream of the Russian Orthodox Church, because it is a very respectable trading point - But now they will give Isaac

Nevzorov: St. Isaac's Cathedral is a supermarket. Nevzorov: The capture of Isaac is a very long-standing dream of the Russian Orthodox Church, because it is a very respectable trading point - But now they will give Isaac

18.08.2024 Plumbing

– Alexander Glebovich, recently the Russian Orthodox Church, represented by the St. Petersburg diocese, has already received the Smolny Cathedral, and now lays claim to St. Isaac’s and the Savior on Spilled Blood. Why does the church need monuments?

– For them, first of all, this is a unique selling point. What is the main thing in trading? Place and again place. As a location, St. Isaac's Cathedral is magnificent; all tourist routes pass through it, and everyone considers it their duty to buy something. They understand that a record point can be pulled out here, and they will make every effort to achieve this. However, they live one day at a time and do not understand the problems that will inevitably arise when the wind movement changes. When they are told: “Pay taxes for trading in services and items of a magical nature.” Then they will deflate, and the bureaucratic process will go back. But this is a wildly expensive circle, an additional problem for nothing.

– Do you think that restitution will come the other way around?

– Nine-tenths of what was handed over to the priests in the heat of the moment will come back. Europe clearly shows what will happen here in 20 years. It has long been known what will happen when the all-clear is given, and people understand that it is absolutely not necessary to kiss the hands of men in dresses. And the churches will again stand with broken windows, and everyone will shout about looting... Everything will go in the second circle. But for now they are ready to take anything: furniture means furniture, pictures mean pictures. Like in a supermarket. Imagine: St. Isaac's Cathedral is a supermarket.

– Are the church’s income from trade really that great?

– They are noticeable if you have the opportunity to prevent any inspectors from entering the facility at all. The budget of absolutely any diocese is absolutely closed from the Economic Crimes Department, the prosecutor’s office and the tax office. However, sooner or later the state will open these bins, and everything will come to light along with numerous scandals and lobbies. But this shame is yet to come.

– Why are you so convinced that twilight will come? Judging by what is happening now, this is hard to believe.

– Because ideology has shown that it is ineffective. Why was she raised on the shield? To help govern the people. Christianity has essentially burned out and fizzled out. Priests drive around in Mercedes, but no one is like the saints: they do not breed worms in the ulcers of their bodies, no one mortifies the flesh... We see that all that remains of all Christianity is consumer skin. People are conformists; they are subject to influences. But offer them, instead of a church, an ancient circus arena with the prospect of being torn to pieces by a tiger, they are unlikely to agree. They are ready to play something as long as it is comfortable. A social game approved from above. Do you know many new converts who are passionate about helping others?

– Not many, but there is definitely one.

– And she is ready to give her house, apartment to the suffering?

“She helps in a different way.”

– And she is obliged to give, this is a requirement of ideology. But I doubt anyone will do this. We can say with confidence that this is all antics. A vicious circle: the head of state is baptized because he rules the Orthodox people. And the people are baptized because the head of state does so.

– Why do you think that changes will occur in the relationship between church and state?

– Because the current situation is ineffective. The state loves itself and is not at all inclined to just share. The same Isaac for him means millions!

- But now they’ll give Isaac back?

– Even if they give it back, the reverse process will immediately begin. Maybe in two years. We should not talk about the Russian Orthodox Church, but return the Foucault pendulum there. And stop all this talk once and for all.

- But the Smolny Cathedral was handed over...

– It was passed on at the tail end of all those innovations that began before. If the church had made a fuss about two years ago, now there would already be a person in a cassock standing at each entrance to the cathedral, and all the “circular” money would go there.

– Why do you think Governor Georgy Poltavchenko has been silent for so long?

– Poltavchenko is extremely careful. He is a professional security officer, and this is decisive and important. He does not allow his personal views to influence his professional activities, and such cases have already happened. For example, when they wanted to introduce Orthodoxy lessons in schools. Poltavchenko did not gather school directors, but left the situation in its natural course, although administrative resources would have been enough. The position of an absolutely noble, balanced person, I declare this with all responsibility. And he is silent because it is very difficult for him now. Imagine how many “pressors” there are? The museum workers will come running: “Let’s not give it away, but we really respect the Russian Orthodox Church, we honor it and so on.” The deputies will write a petition: “We respectfully, but...” No one takes a principled position: “If you want your own Isaac, build it somewhere in the forests near Vyborg...” And all these petitions are absolutely meaningless, no one is ready for a frank conversation. But it’s difficult for Poltavchenko in a situation where there are no allies in preserving state property, except for two shoulder straps, which, I hope, lie in the very top drawer of his desk. And believe me, these are very good advisers.

– Maybe, as he hinted in a conversation with me, everything is decided not by the local authorities, but by the “genius loci” located above?

“The situation was left to chance by everyone.” She's really complicated. But every peak has a decline, and it is inevitable.

Yesterday 21:28

Photo: bratyk/LiveJournal

St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg is not a museum, and its transfer to the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) will completely destroy the building's museum image. Russian publicist Alexander Nevzorov stated this on Echo of Moscow.

"I do not and have never considered St. Isaac's Cathedral a museum. What the hell is it, really, a museum and a museum of what, the question arises. Museum of St. Isaac's Cathedral? Hardly. It is rather a collection of such tinsel and, in general, let's say, very traditional for that time imperial vulgarity, which in itself does not represent any special museum value. Well, the museum is a fantastic thing, and it immediately gives a special color and meaning to any works that are placed in it,” he said.

The publicist noted that everyone who visited St. Isaac’s reflexively reacted to its status as a museum.

“Faith is also a trained conditioned reflex, and when he sees these pathogens, he begins to salivate faith. Well, if not faith, then at least the sympathy of admiration. When this thing comes under the priest’s jurisdiction, then this haze, this lie that everything presented there is art and high art - this will probably go to the side. A certain priest will remain, where, of course, there will be no museum, no matter what they promise you,” he emphasized.

Nevzorov noted that, unlike a temple, a museum is a place where one can behave more freely.

“A museum is a place where you can criticize, where you can laugh, where you can take pictures, where you can flash your knees, where they won’t put a rented skirt on you or give you a handkerchief with a louse hidden in it from a previous wearer. Of course, no There will be no museum,” he assured.

“Today’s arrogance, today’s peremptory attitude of the Russian Orthodox Church is the work of those intellectuals who at one time could not decide what position they were taking - from the position that the church is good, but St. Isaac’s Cathedral should not be given to it. The position is ridiculous. “If they took some kind of tough, understandable position regarding religion, then yes, it would be possible to ally with them and cooperate. But they are bleating something there, lighting some candles,” he said.

“Unlike all those who suffer and are troubled by this issue, I am calm. I know that, following the example of all of Europe, which sooner or later Russia is catching up with, that, following the example of all developed European countries and cities, everything will end with St. Isaac’s Cathedral good: in the worst case, a supermarket, and in the best case, a gallery of boutiques. And I imagine Dolce & Gabbana in the left aisle, probably Givenchy in the right, and Balmain in the altar,” he concluded.

St. Isaac's Cathedral has been functioning as the St. Isaac's Cathedral Museum since 1948. In May 2016, Metropolitan Barsanuphius turned to Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev with a request to transfer St. Isaac's Cathedral to the Russian Orthodox Church. On January 10, 2017, the Governor of St. Petersburg Georgy Poltavchenko stated that the issue of transferring the cathedral to the use of the Russian Orthodox Church had been resolved, but the building would retain its museum and educational function.

The cathedral will be transferred for free use to the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church for 49 years. The transfer is due to be completed in March 2019. At the moment, the museum independently finances the maintenance and restoration of the building. Sources of financing for the cathedral after its transfer to the Russian Orthodox Church have not been determined.

In St. Petersburg, the news of the transfer of the cathedral caused protests. On January 11, activists of the “Spring” movement hung a banner with the words “Not the Russian Orthodox Church” on the cathedral colonnade. On January 13, a crowd of protesters protested against the transfer of the temple gathered near the cathedral, and then in the park opposite.

Illustration copyright Pimenov Roman / TASS

On the eve of the presidential elections, the church and authorities froze the transfer of St. Isaac's Cathedral to the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). The decision to transfer caused protests in early 2017, and so far the museum and the church have agreed only to increase the number of church services.

At the beginning of January 2017, the governor of St. Petersburg, Georgy Poltavchenko, stunned the townspeople with an unexpected decision: St. Isaac's Cathedral, one of the main attractions of the city, would be transferred for free use to the church.

Isaac became a battlefield for secular Petersburg
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church spoke about the evil thoughts of opponents of the transfer of Isaac

The decision caused protests from townspeople and a public discussion about the need to give the church a museum, which brings in hundreds of millions of rubles in income to the city budget. The appeal of the Russian Orthodox Church was indirectly supported by President Vladimir Putin, noting that St. Isaac's was originally built as a temple, and calling not to politicize this topic.

However, almost a year later, the cathedral still belongs to the city. The discussion about this is over, there is no question of transferring Isaac now, interlocutors close to the presidential administration, an interlocutor in the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church and in the management of the museum told the BBC Russian Service.

Why did the authorities and the church freeze the issue, which they called already resolved?

No application - no problem

The church itself insisted on transferring Isaac to the Russian Orthodox Church. The church leadership referred to the 2010 law on the transfer of religious objects. According to this law, a religious organization must itself send an official request to the authorities asking them to give them a building that they consider religious.

This is precisely the request that the church has not yet sent.

The press service of the administration of St. Petersburg told the BBC that as of December 6, 2017, Smolny had not received an application from the Russian Orthodox Church. The director of St. Isaac's Cathedral, Yuri Mudrov, told the BBC that he knew nothing about the application. Museum press secretary Igor Stakheev also said that filing an application in the near future “was not expected and is not expected.”

Without an official request from the church, no one can begin the transfer of the cathedral. “There are no other ways [to transfer St. Isaac’s Cathedral],” the press service of Governor Poltavchenko told the BBC Russian service.

At this point in time, the topic of the application for Isaac is no longer available, an interlocutor in church circles who asked for anonymity told the BBC. Everyone has long forgotten about the cathedral, and this topic is no longer discussed, a BBC interlocutor close to the presidential administration confirmed (he also asked for anonymity, as he is not authorized to comment on this issue).

“There has been a lull,” the museum’s press secretary responded to the question of whether the process of transferring the museum to the church can be called suspended.

Activists challenged the transfer of St. Isaac's Cathedral to the Russian Orthodox Church in court
Museum workers asked Putin to suspend the transfer of Isaac to the Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church responded to Piotrovsky’s call to postpone the transfer of Isaac

The exact date when Isaac was to be handed over to the church was not announced. Representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church spoke about the transfer by Easter or by the end of 2017. Back in January, the St. Petersburg Property Committee published a message on its website stating that all transfer activities should be completed by March 2019. But a year later, the committee’s press service, in response to a request from the BBC, wrote that no deadlines had been set for submitting an application.

At the end of September, Poltavchenko commented on the question of when the cathedral would be handed over in an interview with Novaya Gazeta - St. Petersburg: “We’ll wait. Time is running out. I have no doubts. When this will happen, I’m not ready to say.”

New arrangements

Church representatives found it difficult to tell the BBC why they decided not to send a request to transfer Isaac. The representative of the St. Petersburg diocese, Natalya Rodomanova, refused to comment on Isaac, explaining that “any comment we make on this topic will be used against us.”

The head of the legal service of the Russian Orthodox Church, Abbess Ksenia (Chernega), who was supposed to prepare an application for the transfer of Isaac to the administration of St. Petersburg, refused to talk to the BBC Russian Service.

So far, both Poltavchenko and representatives of the church claim that someday the transfer of the cathedral to the Church will happen.

“We have not yet submitted a petition to return. Now the director has been changed there. But I would like for this cathedral to have more services and entrance to the temple to become free for the people. So far we have not been able to achieve what we want. Although, I think, in the near future this will happen and “, as required by law, the cathedral will be returned to the church,” said Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga Barsanuphius during a visit to Saransk in August. He also did not talk about the reasons for the prolonged pause.

The museum itself explains the absence of an application by the fact that new agreements were reached between the church and the leadership of Isaac, which satisfied both parties. A museum spokesman said that these agreements concern the transfer of services on holidays from the side nave (cathedral room) to the central one.

In the summer, museum director Mudrov spoke about the increase in the number of services in the central part of the cathedral in an interview with Interfax. According to him, services in the central part of the temple will be held on the twelfth (12 holidays) and cathedral (about 200 days a year) holidays. Judging by the schedule of services, in December, with the exception of three days, two services will be held per day.

About the new agreements between the Church and the museum in an interview with the BBC Russian Service: “St. Isaac’s Cathedral still functions as a museum, there is an updated agreement between the church and St. Isaac’s, and so far everything is functioning as it should.”

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Director of the Hermitage - about the Serebrennikov case, Isaac and culture

First everything is discussed with the authorities

Another reason for the lack of an application is the upcoming presidential elections in Russia, believes an interlocutor of the BBC Russian Service in the museum management (he asked for anonymity, since he cannot officially comment on this issue). “Maybe they will submit an application, but after the elections, now they simply don’t want to disturb the public,” he says.

According to him, the church and the city leadership saw that “both believers and non-believers” of St. Petersburg were opposed to the transfer of the cathedral to the church. “The church did not take the next step, because they don’t just submit an application, everything is first discussed with the authorities,” the source reflects.

The version that the Russian Orthodox Church is not submitting an application due to protests against the transfer of the cathedral is also supported by Boris Vishnevsky, deputy of the legislative assembly of St. Petersburg. “The application did not happen due to massive civil resistance,” he said.

Illustration copyright Pimenov Roman / TASS Image caption Near the cathedral, actions were held both in support and against its transfer to the Russian Orthodox Church

The leadership of the Kremlin administration was initially dissatisfied with the form in which the decision on Isaac was announced to the residents of St. Petersburg, the media wrote this year: it was assumed that Poltavchenko would hold a public discussion and then speak about the decision. Such a drastic form could have a negative impact on the results of the elections scheduled for March 2018.

According to sociological surveys conducted in February, two to three residents of St. Petersburg opposed the transfer of St. Isaac's Cathedral to the Church, the Dozhd TV channel reported.

“The church also has no guarantees from the federal authorities that their application will be granted,” Vishnevsky said. He also noted that the legislation prohibits the transfer of museum objects to religious organizations, of which there are more than 20 thousand in St. Isaac's Cathedral, and some of them are physically inseparable from the cathedral - columns, frescoes and other architectural objects.

Layoffs and waiting

Since January 2017, when Poltavchenko announced that the museum would be transferred to the church, St. Isaac's Cathedral has had two directors. In April, Nikolai Burov, who had headed the cathedral since 2008 and was an active opponent of the transfer of the museum to the Russian Orthodox Church, left. And two weeks after her appointment, Irada Vovnenko, who had previously worked in public relations at the museum, left her post.

As a result, in June, Mudrov, who had previously worked at the Museum of the History of Religions and the St. Petersburg Cultural Foundation, began to lead Isaac.

With the arrival of Mudrov, museum staff began to talk about the beginning of preparations for the transfer of the cathedral to the church. So, at the end of the summer from Isaac, with whom the museum management did not renew contracts or agreed to dismiss by mutual consent. Then the museum staff associated staff reductions with the imminent transfer of Isaac to the Russian Orthodox Church.

A source from the BBC Russian Service in the museum management said that “downsizing” is still happening - several people are leaving per month. Before Mudrov arrived, about 400 people worked at the museum.

The news about the possible transfer of the cathedral was negatively received by the residents of St. Petersburg, and therefore they repeatedly organized rallies and protests near St. Isaac's. More than 200 thousand people signed an online petition against the transfer of the cathedral to the church.

At the same time, Orthodox activists, on the contrary, organized actions for the transfer of St. Isaac's Cathedral to the Russian Orthodox Church. In February, a religious procession was held around Isaac, in which members of the Night Wolves bike club and Cossacks took part. And in April, a religious procession around the cathedral was held by children - Sunday school students.