PETROZAVODSK, August 28. /TASS/. The Karelian Charitable Foundation "Severny Dukhovny Put" received about 2.5 mln rubles ($37,000) in donations for the restoration of the 18th-century Dormition church destroyed by fire in the city of Kondopoga (Russia’s Karelia Region), foundation’s head Alexander Lysenkovsky told TASS on Tuesday.
"Since August 24, we have received around 2.5 mln rubles. The donations come from different regions of Russia," he said. "This is just the beginning; the foundation is planning to hold events to attract philanthropists."
Earlier, Russia’s Ministry of Culture reported that the restoration of the church might hold a price tag of about 100 mln rubles ($1.5 mln)
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.