The Bulgarian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky in Sofia was built in honor of the Russian soldiers who died during the Russo-Turkish War in 1877-1878 that liberated Bulgaria from the Ottoman yoke and was thus named in honor of the great Russian prince and warrior. Now, the monument to brotherhood and common faith will again see Bulgarian-Russian cooperation. Specialists in the conservation and restoration of frescoes from the Russian Ministry of Culture recently visited St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia, Bulgaria to draw up an analysis that will help to better restore and preserve the frescoes of the patriarchal memorial church, reports Dobrotolibie with reference to the cathedral website.

The Russian team will also make recommendations and consult with the Bulgarian specialists who will carry out the restoration of the cathedral. A detailed report on the state of the cathedral will be sent by the Russian Department of Investment and Property specialists in the coming weeks. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev proposed assisting in the restoration of the cathedral following his visit to Bulgaria In March during which he held talks with Bulgarian officials on bilateral relations and joint proje cts.

Experts from the University of Construction, Architecture, and Geodesy earlier spent 8 months examining the cathedral and found damage to the southern and northern wings. There is also to be a second examination of the frescoes in the coming months. It is expected that all the repairs to the cathedral, except for the frescoes, will take about two years. St. Sava’s Cathedral in Belgrade is also being beautified with help from the Russian Church and state and businesses. The mosaic of the Ascension inside the church’s main dome was made by a collective of Russian artists, as well as other unique and unprecedented large-scale icons. Large donations for the cathedral were also made by the Russian Gasprom Neft company. (Quelle: www.orthochristian.com, 20. Juni 2019)