St. Petersburg, October 27, 2016
On Wednesday the head of the St. Petersburg Committee for Urban Development and Architecture Vladimir Grigoryev informed journalists that St. Petersburg authorities are planning to build a church complex in memory of the A321 plane crash victims in the city’s Krasnoselsky neighborhood on the bank of the Matisov canal, reports the Interfax agency.
“Following an appeal from the victims’ relatives we proposed a place which, in my judgment, is perfect for building a church. It’s an area set aside for building a noncommercial object. We considered it feasible to give a parcel of land from noncommercial parking for building the church. The investor reacted with great understanding and attention,” Vladimir Grigoryev said.
On October 31, the first anniversary of the tragedy, a foundation stone will be laid on the site of the future church and a memorial cross will be blessed. There is as yet no information about the length of the construction project. The church will be built with funds from benefactors.
The preliminary project envisages building a two-story church in basilica form. The actual church will be situated on the second floor where memorial prayers for crew members and passengers of the flight will be offered. The ground floor will have a spiritual and educational center, a Sunday school, a parish library, a children’s choir, and an Orthodox psychological service.
On October 31, 2015, an airbus A321, operated by the Kogalymavia airline, crashed in the Sinai Peninsula en route from Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt) to St. Petersburg. All 224 people on board, including the crew members and passengers, were killed. Two weeks after the tragedy the Russian authorities classified the catastrophe as an act of terrorism, concluding that a bomb had detonated on board during the flight.
