The Russian Orthodox Church
Department for External Church Relations
Department for External Church Relations
The Russian Orthodox Church
Department for External Church Relations
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Feast of the Ascension of the Lord was prayerfully celebrated in Beijing
The service was led by Hieromonk Innocent (Kolesnikov), rector of the church. On the eve of the feast, there was a All-Night Vigil with the consecration of bread, rice, wine and oil at the Litia.
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The first Orthodox church in Beijing was consecrated in 1696 in honor of Sophia - the Wisdom of God. The building was damaged by an earthquake in August 1730 and after repairs two years later was re-consecrated in honor of the Dormition of the Holy Theotokos. The church was destroyed during the Boxer Rebellion of 1900. In 1902, the church of the Dormition in the northern outpost of the Russian Spiritual Mission in China was rearranged as a temporary refectory church while a cathedral in honor of All Saints Martyrs was being built on the site of the first building.
After the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission was closed in 1954, its northern outpost was transferred to the Soviet Embassy. The church of the Dormition ceased to be used for its intended purpose and was used as a garage by the Embassy.
The restoration of the church in honor of the Dormition of the Holy Theotokos had been discussed during Russian-Chinese high-level talks since 2006. Much attention was paid to the issue by the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin.
The consecration of the restored church was carried out on 13 October 2009 by the Bishop Mark of Yegorievsk (now Metropolitan of Ryazan and Mikhailovsk). On the next day the Church of the Dormition was visited by Vladimer Putin (then Prime Minister of Russia), who was in China on an official visit. He donated the icon of the Protection of the Theotokos to the Church.
Website of the Church of the Dormition in Beijing/
DECR Communication service
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