Vladyka Filaret consecrated the lower Transfiguration Church of the Assumption Cathedral in Vitebsk

March 5, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA/. Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk Filaret, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus, performed the consecration rite of the lower church in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord of the Holy Assumption Cathedral of Vitebsk, a BELTA correspondent reports. His Eminence Filaret, concelebrating with the ruling bishop of the Vitebsk diocese, Archbishop Dmitry, and a host of clergy, performed the rite, which is a prerequisite for holding divine services in the church - the Divine Liturgy. The rules for consecration date back to the 5th century. After the consecration rite, which lasted more than two hours, the Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus addressed the numerous believers present at the ceremony and expressed confidence that he would soon take part in the consecration of the entire Holy Assumption Cathedral. Honorary guests attended the Divine Liturgy - Russian and Belarusian patrons who helped restore the church. Before the consecration of the Transfiguration Church, His Eminence, together with the Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee Alexander Kosinets, familiarized himself with the progress of the interior finishing work of the Holy Assumption Cathedral and blessed the completion of the work and the arrangement of its splendor. The restoration of the 18th-century architectural monument began in 1998. At that time, Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus' laid a capsule with a commemorative charter at the foundation of the church and consecrated the first stone for the construction of the cathedral. In the autumn of 2009, Patriarch Kirill visited the under-construction cathedral. The Holy Assumption Cathedral is built on a high bank at the confluence of the Vitba and Western Dvina rivers. Until the mid-1930s, it was the calling card of Vitebsk and was among the most magnificent churches of the Russian Empire. In 1911, a color photograph of its interior decoration was even taken - so beautiful was the cathedral of provincial Vitebsk. The construction of the church began in 1743. The author of the project and the head of construction work was architect Joseph Fontana. According to some sources, the Vitebsk cathedral was a reduced copy of one of the churches in Rome, built by the famous architect Anorio Longhi. In 1936, the Holy Assumption Cathedral was destroyed by sappers under the command of Pyotr Grigorenko, who later became one of the famous dissidents and human rights activists. The restoration project of the Holy Assumption Cathedral is based on archival materials and is an exact copy of the destroyed one. The size of the church is 55x33 m. The height of the main dome is about 50 m, and the two bell towers soar upwards by almost 40 m. According to the architects' design, wide stairs lead from the embankment to the foot of the church. -0-