Russian cultural and spiritual center in Paris. In the Russian spiritual center in Paris they will pray daily for friendship

On October 19, 2016, the opening ceremony of the cathedral church took place on the Quai Branly in Paris. Life-Giving Trinity and Russian spiritual and cultural center.

The event was attended by the Minister of Culture Russian Federation V.R. Medinsky, head, director of the State Hermitage in St. Petersburg M.B. Piotrovsky, Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to France A.K. Orlov, Mayor of the 7th arrondissement of Paris Rachida Dati, French Secretary of State for Relations with Parliament Jean-Marie Le Guen, CEO construction company-contractor Bouygues Bâtiment Bernard Mounier, the chief architect of the Center Jean-Michel Wilmotte, French politicians, diplomats, public figures, representatives of the business community and the scientific and educational sphere, clergy, descendants of Russian emigration, parishioners of Orthodox churches in Paris, representatives of Russian, French and British media.

At the beginning of the ceremony, Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation V.R. Medinsky and Bishop Anthony of Bogorodsk cut a symbolic ribbon at the entrance to the spiritual and cultural center.

At the ceremonial meeting V.R. Medinsky announced the greetings of Russian President V.V. Putin, in which the leader Russian state expressed confidence that the center will take its rightful place among the cultural attractions of Paris, and its activities will serve to preserve and strengthen the good traditions of friendship and mutual respect that have long connected Russians and the French.

Bishop Anthony of Bogorodsk conveyed greetings to those gathered on behalf of His Holiness Patriarch Moscow and All Rus' Kirill. The Bishop emphasized that the presence of the Russian Orthodox Church has a long history in France, and the completion of the construction of the cathedral church in Paris became a long-awaited event for the large flock of the Moscow Patriarchate, which until now had served in a small church occupying the basement of a residential building on the Rue des Petelles. The archpastor emphasized that the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity will become another visible symbol Russian-French friendship, and within its walls a tireless prayer will be offered for the well-being of Russia and France.

The chief architect of the spiritual and cultural center, Jean-Michel Wilmotte, spoke about architectural features spiritual and cultural complex built on the Quai Branly, and the mayor of the 7th arrondissement of Paris, Rachida Dati, that the project to build an Orthodox church in the heart of Paris has gained unconditional support from the residents of one of the most prestigious districts of the French capital.

The Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo, Secretary of State Jean-Marie Le Guen and General Director of Bouygues Bâtiment Bernard Mounier also delivered welcoming remarks. At the end of his speech, the latter donated a piano to the spiritual and cultural center.

At the end of the official part, Minister of Culture V.R. Medinsky, Ambassador A.K. Orlov and Bishop Anthony of Bogorodsk were presented with commemorative medals depicting the spiritual and cultural center.

Then a short film about the construction of the spiritual and cultural center was shown, after which the distinguished guests answered questions from journalists.

At the end of the interview V.R. Medina and Bishop Anthony visited the Trinity Cathedral. The choir of students from the Paris Orthodox Seminary gave a small concert to the distinguished guests.

The distinguished guests also toured several exhibitions located in the exhibition halls of the spiritual and cultural center.

On the same day, a festive reception was given at the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the French Republic on the occasion of the opening of the Russian Spiritual and Cultural Center.

In the heart of Paris is great historical event- opening ceremony of the Russian Spiritual and Cultural Orthodox Center. A grandiose project that combines both the Russian soul and French chic - the Center as a symbol of the spiritual ties of the two peoples. The President of Russia sent a greeting message to the participants of the ceremony in Paris.

Vladimir Putin is confident that the Center will take its rightful place among the cultural attractions of Paris, and its activities will serve to preserve the traditions of friendship and mutual respect that bind Russians and the French.

There were more people wishing to see the historical event with their own eyes than the organizers could have imagined. Public figures, writers, deputies, emigrants, politicians - both Russians and French. Next to the Minister of Culture Medinsky is the Mayor of Paris, Anne Edalgo. Applause, rave reviews and heated discussions. An incredible project has become a reality. In the center of Paris orthodox cathedral. In granite and marble - for centuries.

Stone from Burgundy - Notre Dame de Paris was built from the same stone, 600 meters from the Eiffel Tower. Just a few years ago, the center project seemed ambitious, a pipe dream. But everything happened, the center opened, and today journalists and guests were allowed here for the first time. It's incredibly light, spacious, and a lot of air. The center is not one building, but a whole complex of buildings, and in the heart is an Orthodox church - a five-domed, five-domed cathedral in Paris, which is visible from everywhere.

Literally glowing with pride, chief architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte accepted congratulations today. His project is both French and Russian side received with enthusiasm. The cathedral and the surrounding buildings were built in a year and a half. A complex architectural solution in which Orthodox canons are combined with unique Parisian architecture and modern technologies. For example, the domes are made of fiberglass with an unlimited service life and are covered with gold leaf.

“Look how the four buildings fit into the block. Nothing was done by accident. The cathedral is located on the same axis with the Alma Palace, which we are rediscovering. All facades face the avenue. It is an extension of the city,” explains Jean-Michel Wilmotte.

In terms of scale, the center is difficult to compare with anything. Before this, the Alexander III Bridge was considered the most significant and grandiose Russian structure dating back to tsarist times.

“This project is truly unique. I am sure that this will be one of the favorite places to visit not only of our compatriots, not only of the Orthodox who come to Paris, but I think that this will be one of the favorite places mutual communication, visiting guests of Paris, the French, our friends,” said Russian Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky.

"We've been waiting for this moment long years. There was a lot of hard work to build this wonderful center. And then its doors open. This is a holiday on our street, a holiday on a Parisian street. This center will certainly become a decoration of Paris,” said Alexander Orlov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to France.

Until recently, the Russian community in Paris gathered in the basement of a bicycle factory. The majestic temple on the banks of the Seine is a symbol of the spiritual ties between the two nations. Here the French will meet, discuss and discover Russia. The center is also a place of cultural pilgrimage.

“Culture and spirituality or religion as part of culture is the most important thing that exists. It is more important than politics, economics and everything. I think that the event that is happening now, on the one hand, shows how important this is, and on the other hand, shows how important it is not to break these ties. And how bad it is if sometimes they even try to use them for political purposes,” said General Director of the State Hermitage Mikhail Piotrovsky.

The Hermitage and the Pushkin Museum brought a grandiose exhibition to Paris these days. Without exaggeration. In the exhibition complex near the Russian Cultural Center - Picasso, Matisse, Van Gogh. A century later, Shchukin’s collection, divided by the revolutionaries into two museums, was reunited. His grandson, a Frenchman by birth, walks around the halls with excitement on the eve of the opening.

“Four months to see this, which you will never see, even despite the fact that the paintings will come back to you, that they will hang in the Hermitage and in Pushkinsky, but this is absolutely not this feeling, completely different,” assures the grandson S.I. Shchukina Andre-Marc Delocq-Fourcauld.

“This is one collection that exists in two wonderful museums, it’s true. But connecting it is also a very important part of the debt that we pay to Shchukin. And it’s especially great that this is happening here, in Paris, in the homeland of those artists who, in fact, they are the heart of this collection,” noted the director of the Pushkin Museum. A.S. Pushkina Marina Loshak.

Russian seasons. This begs a comparison when looking at the list Russian events in Paris. Immediately after opening Cultural Center on his first working day there was the Congress of the Russian Press under the auspices of TASS. Delegates from 60 countries gathered in the hall.

“This has not happened for a long time, when information about our country, about our actions, about our ideas is presented completely incorrectly, completely pervertedly. The good is hushed up, everything negative comes to the fore. This hasn’t happened for a long time, and our task is to overcome it. And the Russian-language press will be in the forefront here,” emphasized Vitaly Ignatenko, president of the World Association of Russian Press.

Exhibitions and concerts will be held here, French children will also study Russian here, and they will pray here. And French politicians are already calling the architectural image of the buildings a symbol of openness. So Russian center in Paris and thought about it.

In the very heart of Paris there is a big historical event - the opening ceremony of the Russian Spiritual and Cultural Orthodox Center. A grandiose project that combines both the Russian soul and French chic - the Center as a symbol of the spiritual ties of the two peoples. The President of Russia sent a greeting message to the participants of the ceremony in Paris.

Vladimir Putin is confident that the Center will take its rightful place among the cultural attractions of Paris, and its activities will serve to preserve the traditions of friendship and mutual respect that bind Russians and the French.

There were more people wishing to see the historical event with their own eyes than the organizers could have imagined. Public figures, writers, deputies, emigrants, politicians - both Russian and French. Next to the Minister of Culture Medinsky is the Mayor of Paris, Anne Edalgo. Applause, rave reviews and heated discussions. An incredible project has become a reality. There is an Orthodox cathedral in the center of Paris. In granite and marble - for centuries.

Stone from Burgundy - Notre Dame de Paris was built from the same stone, 600 meters from the Eiffel Tower. Just a few years ago, the center project seemed ambitious, a pipe dream. But everything happened, the center opened, and today journalists and guests were allowed here for the first time. It's incredibly light, spacious, and a lot of air. The center is not one building, but a whole complex of buildings, and in the heart is an Orthodox church - a five-domed, five-domed cathedral in Paris, which is visible from everywhere.

Literally glowing with pride, chief architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte accepted congratulations today. Both the French and Russian sides accepted his project with enthusiasm. The cathedral and the surrounding buildings were built in a year and a half. A complex architectural solution in which Orthodox canons are combined with unique Parisian architecture and modern technologies. For example, the domes are made of fiberglass with an unlimited service life and are covered with gold leaf.

“Look how the four buildings fit into the block. Nothing was done by accident. The cathedral is located on the same axis with the Alma Palace, which we are rediscovering. All facades face the avenue. It is an extension of the city,” explains Jean-Michel Wilmotte.

In terms of scale, the center is difficult to compare with anything. Before this, the Alexander III Bridge was considered the most significant and grandiose Russian structure dating back to tsarist times.

“This project is truly unique. I am sure that this will be one of the favorite places to visit not only our compatriots, not only Orthodox Christians who come to Paris, but I think that it will be one of the favorite places for mutual communication, visiting guests of Paris, the French, our friends,” said Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Vladimir Medinsky.

“We have been waiting for this moment for many years. There was a lot of hard work to build this wonderful center. And then its doors open. This is a holiday on our street, a holiday on a Parisian street. This center will certainly become a decoration of Paris,” said Alexander Orlov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to France.

Until recently, the Russian community in Paris gathered in the basement of a bicycle factory. The majestic temple on the banks of the Seine is a symbol of the spiritual ties between the two nations. Here the French will meet, discuss and discover Russia. The center is also a place of cultural pilgrimage.

“Culture and spirituality or religion as part of culture is the most important thing that exists. It is more important than politics, economics and everything. I think that the event that is happening now, on the one hand, shows how important this is, and on the other hand, shows how important it is not to break these ties. And how bad it is if sometimes they even try to use them for political purposes,” said General Director of the State Hermitage Mikhail Piotrovsky.

The Hermitage and the Pushkin Museum brought a grandiose exhibition to Paris these days. Without exaggeration. In the exhibition complex near the Russian Cultural Center - Picasso, Matisse, Van Gogh. A century later, Shchukin’s collection, divided by the revolutionaries into two museums, was reunited. His grandson, a Frenchman by birth, walks around the halls with excitement on the eve of the opening.

“Four months to see this, which you will never see, even despite the fact that the paintings will come back to you, that they will hang in the Hermitage and in Pushkinsky, but this is absolutely not this feeling, completely different,” assures the grandson S.I. Shchukina Andre-Marc Delocq-Fourcauld.

“This is one collection that exists in two wonderful museums, it’s true. But connecting it is also a very important part of the debt that we pay to Shchukin. And it’s especially great that this is happening here, in Paris, in the homeland of those artists who, in fact, they are the heart of this collection,” noted the director of the Pushkin Museum. A.S. Pushkina Marina Loshak.

Russian seasons. This is how a comparison arises, looking at the list of Russian events in Paris. Immediately after the opening of the Cultural Center, on its very first working day, there was a Congress of the Russian Press under the auspices of TASS. Delegates from 60 countries gathered in the hall.

“This has not happened for a long time, when information about our country, about our actions, about our ideas is presented completely incorrectly, completely pervertedly. The good is hushed up, everything negative comes to the fore. This hasn’t happened for a long time, and our task is to overcome it. And the Russian-language press will be in the forefront here,” emphasized Vitaly Ignatenko, president of the World Association of Russian Press.

Exhibitions and concerts will be held here, French children will also study Russian here, and they will pray here. And French politicians are already calling the architectural image of the buildings a symbol of openness. This is how the Russian Center in Paris was conceived.

Russian Spiritual and Cultural Center (Paris)

Russian Spiritual and Cultural Center(fr. Center Spirituel et Culturel Russe ) in Paris - a complex of buildings planned for construction, a future venue for cultural events of the Russian community in Paris, a space for introducing Parisians to Russian culture. The buildings of the center will be located at the address: France, Paris, Quai Branly, no. 1. Organizer: Administration of the President of the Russian Federation.

Project competition

At the final of the project competition, 10 out of more than a hundred applicants received the right to present their works. Applicants had to offer their vision of the future center, which should include an Orthodox church, a seminary, a library, and auditoriums for holding meetings of the Russian community and introducing Parisians to Orthodox culture.

Description of the center

The Russian spiritual and cultural center in Paris was conceived by the authors as a multifunctional cultural, entertainment, spiritual and educational complex, the main purpose of which is to create more favorable conditions for the cultural self-identification of the Russian-speaking population in France and on the south-eastern borders of Russia.

The complex of the Russian spiritual and cultural center will consist of three main zones located around the Orthodox Church - Cathedral Russian Orthodox Church in Paris and the central garden.

Orthodox church

The central element of the Russian Spiritual and Cultural Center is Orthodox church. The main entrance to it is located on the western side from a large garden-square laid out in the central part of the site. The temple is elevated on the ground floor, and the area around the temple is used for religious processions.

In the ground floor under the Temple building there is a lower Temple, which, together with the main Temple, can be used for baptismal ceremonies, weddings and funeral ceremonies. The entrance to the cathedral will be from the Alma Palace through the gate between the buildings. Interior decoration the temple will correspond Orthodox canons. It is planned to paint the walls of the Temple with frescoes in the icon painting style. In the niches of the external facades it is proposed to create mosaic panels in the Byzantine and Old Russian traditions.

Central Garden

The central garden according to the project is located immediately behind the main entrance to the territory of the spiritual and cultural center and is located on several terraces, gradually descending towards the Alma Palace and framing the cathedral square in front of the southern and western facades of the Temple.

Building on the Quai Branly

According to the project, the new building on the Quai Branly will include a multifunctional hall for holding concerts, exhibitions, receptions and conferences. The building on the Quai Branly is organically connected with the complex of buildings facing Rapp Boulevard into a single functional complex providing cultural and educational activities, training and popularization of the Russian cultural and spiritual heritage.

Building on the corner of Rapp Boulevard and University Street

The building at the corner of Rapp Boulevard and University Street is planned to be reconstructed and adapted for administrative, residential, educational and business functions. This block of center premises will have an independent entrance from the corner of University Street and Rapp Boulevard.