Metropolitan Nikolai of Izhevsk and Udmurtia told Prime Minister Vladimir Putin about the restoration of St. Michael's Cathedral. He said that it took a full two years just to finish the mural, which is based on sketches by the painter Viktor Vasnetsov.

"He is a native son. Two of his brothers were priests in Udmurtia," Metropolitan Nikolai said.

Prime Minister Putin was shown one of the old icons that survived the destruction of the cathedral during the Soviet period. The prime minister visited the upper and lower levels of the cathedral and lit a few candles before the icons.

Prime Minister Putin presented the cathedral with the icon of Michael the Archangel, which dates back to the late 19th - early 20th century.