The project for the construction of St. Sophia Cathedral in Vitebsk has been presented to the public for discussion

On the Dormition of the Mother of God holiday, a presentation of the concept for the future church was held near the Holy Dormition Cathedral in Vitebsk to familiarize people with the architectural designs intended for implementation in the subsequent design stage.

Archbishop Dmitry of Vitebsk and Orsha proposed the construction of a new church in the regional center back in 2013. The architectural design was developed based on an order from the religious community "Parish of St. Sophia Cathedral of Vitebsk of the Vitebsk Diocese of the Belarusian Orthodox Church." A location has been designated for the new church on the eastern bank of the Western Dvina River, between Chekhov and Uritsky streets, in the Partisan Glory Park, the improvement of which is ongoing. The allocation of this land plot has been agreed upon with the Head of State. All permits have been processed in accordance with legislative requirements. "The project is significant for the city and the country, as efforts have been made to restore what was lost, but mistakes were made in the process, which had to be corrected. This is a new facility that will become an element of pride for our generation and will adorn the historical center zone," explained Leonid Bogdanov, Deputy Chief Architect of the city.

The exterior design utilizes analogues such as the St. Sophia Cathedrals in Kyiv and Novgorod, while the wall construction takes into account the features of the 11th-century St. Sophia Cathedral of Polotsk, i.e., in the style of the Constantinople cathedral: made of solid brick with an external facing of plinth masonry alternating with rubble stone. "His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' has blessed this project, which testifies to the origins of Orthodoxy in Belarus. We want to revive for future generations the St. Sophia that existed in the 11th century, so that they can see what it looked like originally, before restoration, with architectural features characteristic of Byzantium," noted the future rector of this church, Archpriest Mikhail Martynovich.

He also added that Vitebsk, not Polotsk, was chosen as the construction site, as another division of dioceses is approaching and a metropolitanate will be created based on the entire region, with Vitebsk as its center.

In response to the concerns of citizens worried about the fate of other churches planned for restoration in the regional center, Leonid Bogdanov and Father Mikhail emphasized that these projects are not forgotten. However, there is currently no funding for their implementation, or other difficulties hinder them, as in the case of the restoration of St. Nicholas Cathedral. The construction of St. Sophia Cathedral will be funded by the community, donations from parishioners, sponsors, and all concerned individuals. For example, during his visit to Vitebsk in 2013, the head of Gazprom, Alexey Miller, expressed his desire to become the honorary chairman of the board of trustees for the reconstruction of the church and expressed his readiness to participate in this noble cause financially.

The public discussion will continue until September 18. During this period, presentation stands of the future facility are located in the Holy Assumption Cathedral, where everyone can leave their comments and suggestions in the guest book. Additionally, citizens and all concerned individuals can express their opinions in writing by sending them to the Vitebsk Diocese and the city executive committee, on whose website detailed information about the project is posted. After all approvals, construction will begin based on the decision of the city executive committee.

Ekaterina Knyazeva, BELTA.