MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th August, 2018) The Dormition Church of Kondopoga, which was located in northern Russia just north of Finland and was one of the country's tallest historical wooden buildings, has been destroyed by fire by 95 percent, but since many drawings are preserved, it can be restored, the Russian Culture Ministry said on Monday.
On August 10, the iconic church was completely burned down. A firefighter was injured while extinguishing the fire. It was later determined that the fire was arson, and prosecutors initiated a criminal case over the destruction of a cultural heritage site. A 15-year-old was detained, who was suspecting of setting the church on fire. Earlier in the day, he has pleaded guilty to arson.
"As a result of fire outbreak, basement, passage with porch, refectory, prayer room, pyramidal broach roof were completely burnt out on August 10, 2018. The iconostasis (except for one icon that is undergoing restoration) and the painting were lost. According to experts, 95 percent of the site was destroyed," the ministry reported.
The workshops that previously developed a restoration project for the church are preparing an estimate of the possible cost of the reconstruction of the church, it added.
"The possibility of recreating this monument exists, as there is a restoration project (2014) and an act of technical condition of the facility (2017)," the ministry said.
The Church of the Dormition of the Holy Mother of God was located on the territory of the former village of Kondopoga, which laid the foundation of the city of Kondopoga, on a small rock that extends into the Chupa Bay of Lake Onega. The church was built in 1774 during the decline of Russian northern wooden architecture in memory of peasants killed during the 1769-1771 Kizhi uprising. At 42 meters (138 feet) tall, it was one of Russia's tallest wooden churches.
