Some 300 Orthodox churches were restored in Mordovia

Some 300 Orthodox churches were restored in Mordovia during the last 15 years, Archbishop Varsonofy of Saransk and Mordovia said at the solemn divine service dedicated to the 15^th anniversary of the diocese.

The celebrations held in St.Macarius Monastery near the city of Saransk were also attended by representatives of the neighboring dioceses.

According to Archbishop Varsonofy, Orthodox churches have been restored in almost all villages. There were only some 50 churches in the beginning of 1990s, when the Mordovia diocese was established. Archbishop Varsonofy underscored that dozens of churches are being built with the help of the natives of the Republic who had left it. ‘They are well-to-do people, but they have not forgotten their compatriots’.

The cathedral church dedicated to the holy and righteous warrior Feodor (Ushakov) is located in the centre of Saransk and is one of the most well known newly built churches. The life of Feodor Ushakov who was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church was closely linked with Mordovia. A great Russian naval commander and a founder of the Black Sea Navy spent the last years of his life in the village of Alexeyevka near the Sanaksar Monastery.