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Restoring 18th century church in northwestern Russia may cost $1.5 mln

The fire in the wooden church broke out in the morning on August 10

© Ilya Timin/TASS

MOSCOW, August 20. /TASS/. The restoration of the 18th-century Dormition Church destroyed by fire in the city of Kondopoga located in Russia’s northwestern Karelia Region on August 10 may hold a price tag of about 100 mln rubles ($1.5 mln), the press service of Russia’s Ministry of Culture told TASS on Monday.

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18th-century wooden church destroyed by fire in northwestern Russia can be restored

"According to preliminary expert estimates, the church’s restoration will require about 100 mln rubles," the press service said.

The ministry added that the precise amount needed to rebuild the architectural monument could only be determined once construction project specifications are ready, which will cost at least 10 mln rubles ($149,000).

The fire in the wooden church broke out in the morning on August 10. According to the Russian Emergencies Ministry’s regional department, the possible cause of the fire was arson. A 15-year-old schoolboy suspected of setting the church ablaze has been placed in a detention facility for minors.

According to the Cultural Heritage Protection Center, the Dormition Church was one of the tallest wooden churches in northern Russia. The structure was 42 meters high, with its length totaling 24 meters and its width - 14.6 meters. It was a federal cultural heritage site, and church services were not conducted there.

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