PARIS, May 30. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday presented an icon of the Holy Trinity to the Russian Orthodox Trinity Cathedral in Paris, the Bishop of Chersonese Nestor, who chairs the Russian Orthodox diocese of Western Europe told TASS.
"We’re really glad to receive the Russian President in this church, which is the backbone element of the Russian Spiritual and Cultural Center in Paris," the Most Rev. Nestor said.
He recalled that the cathedral, which the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Kirill I consecrated last year, was evoking interest of members of the Russian community in France and, on top of that, of all other Parisians.
"This is a very special place that brings our cultures together at a very deep spiritual level," the Most Rev. Nestor said.
He also said Putin had lit a candle at a candleholder in front of the cathedral’s main icon. When he was lighting the candle, the bishop’s was signing an anthem glorifying the Holy Trinity.
After Putin handed the icon to the Most Rev. Nestor, the bishop made a gift to the President - an icon of the Holy Trinity painted by an emigre Russian artist in France.
The Holy Trinity Cathedral is a constituent element of the Russian Spiritual and Cultural Center on the left-hand bank of the Seine. It was designed by the acclaimed French architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte, who proposed to use the famous Burgundy limestone, which the builders of previous epochs used while building the Louvre, Notre Dame, and the Fontenay Abbey.
The consecration of the cathedral took place on December 4, 2016. The quite emblematic fact is the new compound overlooks Avenue Franco-Russe that received its current name in the past century.
The Most Rev. Nestor called the entire compound of the Russian Spiritual and Cultural Center and, quite naturally, the Holy Trinity Cathedral "a bright sample of a successful combination of up-to-date and traditional church architecture.".