YEKATERINBURG, May 27. /TASS/. The authorities of the Russian city of Yekaterinburg have received over 8,200 letters suggesting possible sites for the construction of St. Catherine’s Cathedral, the Mayor’s Office said in a statement on Monday.
"On May 20-27, the city authorities received 8,226 letters from Yekaterinburg residents, suggesting possible sites for the construction of St. Catherine’s Cathedral. Since some letters propose the same sites, there are a total of 48 options," the statement reads.
The city authorities have been collecting options for the possible construction sites since May 20. Following the release of an opinion poll conducted by the All-Russia Public Opinion Research Center, Sverdlovsk Region Governor Yevgeny Kuivashev suggested rejecting plans to construct the cathedral in a downtown park.
On May 13, unauthorized rallies began in Yekaterinburg against plans to rebuild the cathedral in the park instead of its original site. The authorities had made the decision in February 2019, taking public opinion into consideration and in accordance with all necessary procedures, but still provoked outrage from some of the city’s residents. However, following the recent protests, the authorities declared that a final decision would be made based on the results of a referendum or an opinion poll.
Saint Catherine’s Cathedral is expected to be built by 2023, when Yekaterinburg will celebrate its 300th anniversary.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a media forum of the All Russia People’s Front on Thursday that a survey on the construction of the Cathedral needed to be conducted among the city’s residents.