St. Nicholas Church in Merano, Italy transferred to Russian Orthodox Church

Moscow, April 5, 2017

Photo: Pravoslavie.ru

On March 31, in Bolzano, the capital city of Italy’s northern Alto-Adige region, the ceremony of signing an agreement to transfer the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Merano to the use of the Russian Orthodox Church was held. Bishop Anthony of Bogorodsk, the administrator of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Italian parishes, signed on behalf of the Russian CHurch, reports the site of the Italian parishes.

St. Nicholas Church in Merano is one of the oldest Russian churches in Italy. The Orthodox parish in South Tyrol appeared at the end of the nineteenth century, when these lands were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The first church in honor of St. Nicholas was consecrated in Merano in 1884. A few years later, in 1897, the church was located on the top floor of a two-story annex of the “Villa Borodina” complex.

During the First World War the church was closed. Divine services resumed in 1997, being served regularly from that time. Previously, parishioners coordinated their schedule annually with city authorities, but from the time of the transfer service schedules will be coordinated between the Alto-Adige province and the Moscow Patriarchate administration of the Italian parishes. The parish of St. Nicholas has received full freedom to organize its liturgical services, and the right to the permanent use of the church.