WHEN WILL THE CHURCH BE RETURNED TO THE FAITHFUL?
In the building of the Church of St. Nicholas near the railway station
of Samarkand, construction work by a private company accelerated. But whether the work complies with the standards for the preservation of a historical and cultural object and how legitimate the actions of a limited liability company are in general - these, as well as the question of returning the building to believers, were answered directly at the scene of the events.
Upon arrival, we were convinced that repairs are in full swing inside the ancient Church, which is more than 120 years old: the roof is covered with iron sheeting, the former altar part is covered with plastic panels and tiled, the suspended ceiling of drywall is finished, hoods for future ovens of the catering point are also installed there.
Director of Sam Phoenix Stroy Service LLC - Orzu Murodov:
"I got this building for rent from the cinema department and in two years I took out several cars of construction debris that accumulated here after the fire. I am currently carrying out repair work on the basis of a trilateral agreement with the city's khokimiyat and the cinema department. I was told in the khokimiyat that it is planned to open a tourist center with a cafeteria for guests in this building, the latter I could use for my own needs. To date, I have cleaned the bricks from soot, covered the roof, converted part of the building into a cafeteria, there is still a lot to do. I have already spent about 70 thousand dollars on all these works."
When asked about the coordination of the repair project with the Department of Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Uzbekistan , Orzu Murodov said that the project had been sent to the Ministry of Culture , but there was no answer yet. That is, in fact, there was no agreement before the start of work and the reconstruction is being carried out without professional advice.
According to Murod Usmonov, a specialist at the Department of Cultural Heritage of the Samarkand region, the repair of the Church building is carried out in violation of all legislative norms for the preservation of cultural heritage sites and this fact will not remain without the attention of the department. Before our eyes, an appropriate act was drawn up, which, as explained, will be sent to the court to impose a fine on the violator.
I would like to note that since 2014, they have been trying to return the church building to the bosom of the Orthodox Church. In 2018, an initiative group of residents of Samarkand repeatedly appealed to various state bodies of the region and the republic with petitions for the transfer of the building to believers, but received only unsubscriptions.
There was a fire in the church twice, a gas explosion, which can be considered as human negligence, or perhaps the providence of the Lord, who opposes the sinful deeds of people.
The faithful, who have been gathering for prayer at the walls of the Church every Thursday for the past few years, are ready to provide all possible assistance in restoring the temple.
The idea of believers and clergy is also shared by the Department of Cultural Heritage of the Samarkand region.
The transfer of the building of the Church of St. Nicholas is not just a matter of conscience, but an urgent need to preserve the object of cultural heritage, - said Shukhrat Klichev , acting head of the Department of Cultural Heritage of the region.
For several years now, we have been seeking the return to our jurisdiction of the building of the former church, which in 2016, the khokimiyat of the city, without authority, transferred to the balance of the cinema department. We have sent statements to the prosecutor's office on this matter, but we have not received a response. Things are different today, so I think this issue will finally be resolved positively in the near future.
Currently, the building of the church, which is included in the register of objects of material cultural heritage of the republic, temporarily houses a hairdresser and a shoe workshop. Local merchants store their goods in the basement. A store has been built right next to the historical object, the area around it is not an example of landscaping and cleanliness. Therefore, I think it would be right to speed up the process of taking the historical heritage object under state control and transferring it to the RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH.