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A meeting, at which the preparation of the celebrations to mark the millennium of the Russian presence on Mount Athos was discussed, took place in Moscow on 20 April 2016. Among its participants were Mr. Alexander Beglov, head of the Presidential working group on the preparation of celebrations marking the millennium of the Russian presence on Mount Athos, Plenipotentiary Envoy of the President of the Russian Federation to the Central Federal District; Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolmask, chair of the Organizing Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church on the preparation of the celebrations marking the millennium of Russian monasticism on Mount Athos, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations; Archbishop Feognost of Seriev Posad, chairman of the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism; archpriest Nikolai Balashov, DECR vice-chairman; Hegumenness Juliania (Kaleda), deputy head of the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism; Mr. Alexander Zhuravsky,  Russia’s Deputy Minister of Culture; as well as members of the Presidential working group and the Organizing Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church; and the invitees.

Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk told all those present about the programme of the celebrations and its implementation. For instance, the photo exhibition entitled “Under the Omophorion of the Most Holy Theotokos: The Life of the Athonite Monasteries,” held at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour from March 16 to April 17, had a success and will later open in other Russian cities. The information about all the events will be available on the Russky Afon (Russian Athos) web portal.

Metropolitan Hilarion outlined the major events, including the final stage of the All-Russian school olympiad on the foundations of the Orthodox culture and the preparation of commemorative events to be held in honour of St Silouan the Athonite.

The participants in the meeting discussed the programme of the celebrations and other organizational matters.

The joint meeting the Presidential working group and the Organizing Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church on the preparation of the celebrations marking the millennium of the Russian presence on Mount Athos took place on February 4, 2016.

DECR Communication Service