15 march 2012

First Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov holds a regular meeting of the board of the Charity Fund for the Reconstruction of the Voskresensky New-Jerusalem Monastery

Participants:

Participants in the meeting reviewed a report on fund's work on the restoration of the monastery in 2011, and determined tasks for 2012.

"I visit the monastery regularly. The restoration project has made considerable headway. Baltstroy, a new general contractor that became involved in this work last June, is doing a good, timely job. It is hiring more and more specialists for this project. There are already more than 600 of them. Baltstroy has completed the construction of the Sunday school. The monastery's friary will live there while the restoration work is in progress. The interior of the Gateway Church has been renovated. Its cross has also been repaired and put back in place. Specialists are continuing to work on the iconostasis and frescoes, and on restoration of the monastery's main buildings – work on the Belfry and the Resurrection Cathedral is in full swing. A special scaffolding design allows specialists to work in any weather," Viktor Zubkov noted, in opening the board's meeting.

During the discussion of the report by the fund's Executive Director Viktor Kochenov, members of the board noted progress in the fund's work. Following the discussion they approved the reports on the fund's operation in 2011, the implementation of the fiscal plan for 2011 and the annual accounting balance sheet. These documents will be sent to the co-chairmen of the fund's Board of Trustees President Dmitry Medvedev and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. They will be also published on the official site of the Charity Fund for Reconstruction of the Voskresensky New-Jerusalem Monastery.

Participants in the meeting reviewed the work of the property developer OKS 900, under Spetrstroy Rossii. Following the discussion of the report by its head, Vladimir Pavlyuchenkov, the members of the board demanded that the property developer take measures within a week to speed up the drafting of the necessary papers and report on these measures to the government.

"The total costs of operations in 2011 was 843 million roubles. There are plans to allocate about three billion roubles in 2012. This requires the utmost concentration and commitment from all of us to the tasks that lie ahead," Deputy Prime Minister emphasised.

In turn, Baltstroy reaffirmed its readiness to bring the number of specialists up to 1,200 given the proper documentation from the property developer.

Participants in the meeting praised the fund's Expert Council for the major role it played in organising the repairs and restoration of the monastery. In 2011 it was substantially enhanced by admitting specialists from the Ministry of Culture, representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church and members of the Art History Commission at Moscow's Diocesan Council. In May 2011, Viktor Zubkov chaired a round-table discussion about the conceptual decisions on the monastery's restoration, with the active participation of the Expert Council.

"Everyone must remember that our main task is not to create a brilliant modern replica, but to preserve the design of Patriarch Nikon and to approach as closely as possible to the image of the monastery in its own day," Viktor Zubkov emphasised. "The plan provides for the completion of this unique project by the end of 2016," he added.

Viktor Zubkov noted that President Medvedev and Patriarch Kirill are giving their constant attention and support to the project. "I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the co-chairmen of the Board of Trustees for this attention and support. I'd also like to thank the many ordinary citizens who are making a contribution to the restoration of the monastery. Now they will be able to monitor the work through a special section of the fund's official site. I instructed my subordinates to organise this during my regular visit to the monastery on February 2. This has already been done. I visit this site regularly myself. Members of the board have just familiarised themselves with the operation of web cameras as well," he said.

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First Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov heads the Board of the Charity Fund for Reconstruction of the Voskresensky New-Jerusalem Stavropegial Male Monastery.

The initiative to establish the fund was made by President Medvedev and Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and AllRussia