Moscow, March 10, 2017
Photo: hungary.orthodoxia.org
On February 1, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban signed a government order to allocate a state grant to the Russian Orthodox Church’s Hungarian diocese for restoring and constructing new churches.
Most recently, the ceremonial signing of the agreement on the transfer of funds took place on Thursday, March 9, according to the site of the Diocese of Hungary. The agreement on 2.4 billion forints (about $8.1 million) was signed by Bishop Tikhon of Podolsk, administrator of the Hungarian diocese, and Hungary’s Minister of Social Resources Zoltan Balogh. The funds have been allocated for the restoration of Budapest’s Dormition Cathedral, Miskolc’s Holy Trinity Church, Tokaj’s Church of St. Nicholas of Myra, and the building of a new church in Hévíz.
This is the first such large-scale cooperation between Hungary and the Russian Orthodox Church. The allocation of funds is a contribution not just to the restoring and building of churches, Bishop Tikhon believes, but to the preservation of the traditional Christian values of Hungary and Europe.
The first Russian Orthodox parish on Hungarian territory was built in the eighteenth century in Tokaj, where there was a Russian Cossack garrison. This church has survived until today. Another Russian church appeared in 1803 on the outskirts of Budapest.
