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Vitsebsk Residents Stand Up For Karatkevich’s Monument

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Vitsebsk Residents Stand Up For Karatkevich’s Monument
PHOTO: RADIO LIBERTY

The residents of Vitsebsk held a protest action and continue collecting signatures against construction of the “Gazprom” church.

The action of protest of the city dwellers against construction of the copy of the ancient Saint Sophia, which will be an acting Orthodox church, was held in the evening on September 26 in Vitsebsk.

The protesters collected signatures against demolition of the park at the construction site of the future church. Demounting of Uladzimir Karatkevich’s monument is a part of the construction plan.

The public discussion stirred after the parish of St. Sophia Cathedral, Archpriest Mikhail Martynovich approached the protesters. At first he tried to joke: "I am a poor pilgrim Mikhail. Have the supporters of the construction of St. Sophia Cathedral gathered here? Here I am, I came to join you!". However, such joke revolted the townspeople and they were forced to explain that they are categorically against the construction of copies of the cathedral, which has never been in Vitebsk.

The residents of the city offered, since it seems so important for the board of the Vitebsk diocese to build exactly a temple like this, to transfer the project to any of the new residential districts, which still does not have a church, Radio Liberty reports.

Archpriest Mikhail Martynovich continued joking, crossed himself at the monument to Uladzimir Karatkevich, and then suddenly said to those who spoke to him in Belarusian, that they "were born in the village". At this point, the debate switched to the "Russian world" trend.

During the evening, the protesters gathered 130 signatures in the yards adjacent to the square, and 80 - at the monument. Many came to sign, having read about the campaign in the social networks.

The idea to build up the St. Sophia Cathedral of Polatsk in its original form in Vitsebsk belongs to the Archbishop of Vitebsk and Vorsha Demetrius.

The object will be financed, as first reported, by the Russian "Gazprom".

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