Official website of the President of Russia

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The message reads, in part:

“The restoration of the cathedral at the place where the miracle-working Our Lady of Kazan Icon, one of the most revered Orthodox Christian relics, had been found is an outstanding and long-awaited event for believers, parishioners and pilgrims, for all those who cherish spiritual and moral ideals, bequeathed by our ancestors, and who hold dear the invaluable historical heritage of our people.

Today, efforts to preserve and recreate national cultural landmarks rank among our high-priority projects. It is gratifying that this large-scale and highly popular work meets with all-round support of the Russian Orthodox Church, representatives of other Russian religions and denominations, and of people of various nationalities and religions and that it serves to consolidate society, strengthen public accord, and promote the ideals of mutual respect, neighbourliness and joint constructive work for the benefit of the Motherland. The Cathedral of the Icon of Our Lady of Kazan, built with the help of scientists, restorers, employees of museums and libraries, priests, philanthropists, and volunteers, is an outstanding example of this. The construction project involved virtually everyone.

I am confident that the cathedral will become one of Kazan’s spiritual centres, and that it will help reinstate religious relics and long-time traditions in ancient Tatarstan.”

The Cathedral of the Icon of Our Lady of Kazan at the Kazan Virgin Monastery was built in 1808 in an area where the Our Lady of Kazan Icon, a relic especially revered by Orthodox Christians and the entire Christian world, had been found in 1579. The cathedral was demolished in 1932 and restoration began in 2016.