Meeting between His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia and the King of Norway Harald V

Meeting between His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia and the King of Norway Harald V

A meeting between His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia and the King of Norway Harald V took place on May 26 at the Chapel of the Transfiguration of the Church of Christ the Savior. His Holiness the Patriarch took the high guest on a tour of the Church of Christ the Savior and told him the story of the creation, destruction and rebuilding of the shrine. Showing to his guest the view of Moscow from the walking gallery around the main cupola, His Holiness drew the King’s attention to the shining golden cupolas of Moscow’s revived churches which had so much changed the image of the capital in the last years. On behalf of the Orthodox faithful, His Holiness the Patriarch expressed delight at the first visit of the Norwegian monarch to Russia. His Majesty, in his turn, thanked His Holiness the Patriarch for the warm welcome and vivid impressions. It was significant that the King of Norway, during his very first visit to Russia, met and talked with the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church. The attention King Harald V paid to Russian shrines is connected with his family tradition as his grandmother, Queen Maud, was a cousin of the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II.