His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople visits Moscow Patriarchate’s parish in Reykjavik
On 14 October 2017, while in Iceland, His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople visited St. Nicholas parish of the Moscow Patriarchate in Reykjavik and the construction site of the first Orthodox church in the capital of Iceland, where in May 2011, upon the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the foundation stone was blessed.
Meeting the distinguished guest were Archpriest Timofei Zolotussky, rector of the Church of St. Nicholas, and the parishioners. Patriarch Bartholomew wished success to Fr. Timofei in his further pastoral ministry for the good of the Orthodox community in the capital of Iceland and presented him with a pectoral cross and a silver censer.
In the evening of the same day, the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Constantinople visited the Embassy of the Russian Federation, where a reception was given in his honour by Mr. Anton Vasiliev, Russia’s Ambassador to Iceland. His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew told about the relationships between the Patriarchates of Constantinople and Moscow, as well as about his visits to Russia. Mr. Vasiliev informed the head of the Church of Constantinople of the plans to build a Russian Orthodox church in Reykjavik.
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Several years ago the City Council of Reykjavik allotted a plot of land to the community of the Russian Orthodox Church for constructing a church in the old city centre. At the moment in Reykjavik there is a temporary home chapel.
According to the Statistics Iceland, some 3.5 thousand Russian-speaking people from the former USSR republics live in the country. More than six hundred faithful have been registered at St. Nicholas parish in Reykjavik.
DECR Communication Service