The Primate of the Former Russian Church Donated the Library Belonging to the Community

On July 6, 2023, a large part of the gift collection of books and magazines in Russian and Church Slavonic from the Holy Trinity Church on Philellinon Street, formerly known as the “Russian Church”, was transferred to the library of the Orthodox Center of the Church of Greece.

The collection was donated by Archimandrite P. Sinesios Victoratos, Vicar of the Holy Church, reports the Church News Agency. Romfea.

The acquisition and classification of the collection was undertaken by the head of the library, Ms. Irini Gripaio, and the deacon, Father Antonios Sarantidis, a brother from the Holy Monastery of Penteli, according to Romfea.

It is worth noting that this collection was collected for more than 150 years by the former abbots and parishioners of the Russian Church, however, it was given away without any agreement with the community. Whether the collection will be returned is a big question. Books and magazines of historical and cultural value were actually seized from the church as part of the policy of de-Russification of the Church of the Holy Trinity, just as numerous icons were previously thrown into the trash, a gift from the parishioners of the temple, who have been expelled from the church in recent years by hook or by crook.

This is the second in fact mass seizure of books and valuables from the Russian Church. For the first time, a library with a lot of old Russian books, which is almost lost today, was not entirely legally moved to the former Russian senile house in Argyroupoli. Where for many years it was slowly sold at auctions along with things and historical values ​​received from parishioners.

The church will be closed … for reconstruction, until the collapse of the Russian community. According to parishioners, the archimandrite plans to reconstruct the church, which, in his opinion, is dilapidated and unsuitable for holding services. Fundraising has already begun. But, judging by the information that has become the property of the editors, this money will only be used to assess the cost of reconstruction, and not for repairs.

According to the same parishioners, the goal Archimandrite P. Sinesios Victoratos is the collapse and destruction of the Russian community, and for this a very convenient factor is the closure of the church for reconstruction. Since there is no money to carry out the work and it is not planned, the reconstruction will be delayed for many years, and during this time “the community will scatter on its own.”

So it will be done real goalfor the sake of which P. Sinesios Viktoratos was appointed to the post of primate of the church of the Russian embassy church, Holy Trinityrestored from the ruins by its first primate, Archimandrite Antonin (Kapustin).

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