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Putin to visit Athos for celebrations of 1000 years of Russian monasticism on holy mount

On Friday, Putin held talks with Greek leaders in Athens

ATHENS, May 28. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, the second day of his visit to Greece, will visit Mount Athos to attend ceremonies marking 1000 years of Russian monasticism there.

On Friday, Putin held talks with Greek leaders in Athens.

Last time Putin was on Mount Athos more than ten years ago, during his visit to Greece in September 2005. He was the first Russian head of state to have visited this Orthodox holy shrine. Putin was going to visit Athos in 2011, too, but bad weather then upset the trip.

As Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov told the media earlier, on Saturday Putin will visit the Cathedral of the Assumption of Our Lady and then meet with members of the Holy Kinot, the governing body of Mount Athos, and make a statement. After that Putin will go to the Russian monastery of St. Panteleimon, where Patriarch Kirill, of Moscow and All Russia, will conduct a special ceremony marking the 1000th anniversary of Russian monasticism on the holy mount. Putin will be received by the monastery’s Hegumen, Schema-Archimandrite Ieremia, who turned 100 last September. Putin will leave Athos by boat and later fly back to Moscow from Saloniki.

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