On Tuesday, February 9, the delegation from SCPS traveled through the outskirts of the City of St. Petersburg into what is still known as the Leningrad Region. The first stop was the St. Catherine Church in Murino. The small church was built on what was the estate of the Woronzoff family. Archpriest Nikolai Teterjatnikov and his parishioners have restored the temple to its former beauty and have also built an impressive parish house in which there is a very well appointed parish school.

Exterior of the St. Catherine Church, Murino

Like many churches of the St. Petersburg Diocese, the main St. Catherine Church is decorated in a Western style popular in the 18^th and 19^th centuries.

Iconostas of St. Catherine Church

Ceiling of the St. Catherine Church

A second stop was made in the countryside to the St. Michael Church of Toksovo.  Located in a popular skiing area, the main church stands at the center of a rather impressive complex of buildings that reflect the ministries of the clergy and parish. In addition to the two temples and bell tower, a home for the elderly has been completed and an orphanage is under construction. Beautifully appointed, the home for the elderly represents the move of the Russian Church and its clergy into the sphere of charitable social work.

St. Michael Church and Bell Tower

Porcelein iconostas of St. Michael Church

Icon of the New Martyr Metropolitan Benjamin of Petrograd

Home for the elderly in Toksovo

The day ended with a visit to the St. Peter and Paul Fortress and the cathedral in which members of the Imperial family are buried.

Royal Doors of the Ss. Peter and Paul Church

Lavishly decorated in the baroque style, the church is used for divine services on feast days and on the weekends.

The tomb of the Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna

On Wednesday, the delegation visited the St. Vladimir Church of St. Petersburg.  This temple was not closed during the Soviet period. The delegates were shown a very interesting feature of this church. Archpriest Vladimir Sorokin, the rector, has installed a computer terminal in the cathedral itself which has a growing database of the names of the hundreds of thousands who were killed or died during the years of communist rule. An electronic book of remembrance, men and women are able to search for or add the names of relatives who perished.

A young woman searches for the name of a relative in the database of the Cathedral.

Fr. Vladimir said the computer terminal is easily accessed by young and old, but is especially relevant to the new generation that is growing up with computers as everyday tools. It is, in a way, a contemporary version of the little books and slips of paper that are sent into the altar for commemoration.

The day ended with a visit to the Monastery of St. John of Rila where St. John of Kronstadt is buried. The monastery has been recently restored and has a growing community of nuns. The members of the delegation venerated the relics of St. John and were shown the two churches of the monastery. Hundreds visit the monastery each day to pray at the tomb of St. John.

The St. John of Rila Monastery

The Reliquary of St. John of Kronstadt