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The movement for the restoration of churches all over Russia was started at the end of the nineteen eighties but unfortunately was not represented outside of Moscow and other big cities. Svetlana A. Mel'nikova is devoted to the cause of the revival of Russian culture and worked in the Organization for the Protection of Architectural Monuments. Together with like-minded people she created the charitable foundation "Village Church". Victor M. Tolmachev has a more than twenty-year work experience in the top management of the All-Russian Society for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments (VOOPiK). The recognized restorer and design engineer Nikolay I. Smirnov has become the Chairman of the Restoration Council.

The charitable foundation "Village Church" formulated a program called "Village Church of Russia" that provides funds for emergency and preservation work on abandoned village churches, and thus to provide conditions for the resumption of worship and then to gratuitously hand the restored churches over to the villagers.

Work was started in 1988. Donations from charitable organizations, from companies and private people provided the financial means needed.

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Several years of cooperation with the "Credo-Bank" marked a crucial phase in the history of the "Russian Village Church. In 1995 the Russian Culture Fund acknowledged the "Russian Village Church" program as being of primary importance. This Fund supported the production of a video about the "Russian Village Church" program, which turned out to be of great help in the subsequent work of the organization. The Russian Culture Fund takes part in financing of a number of projects of the centre.

"The spiritual and moral core of Russia always has been, still is, and will always be Holy Orthodoxy, the symbol and figure of which remains the village church; lost in the vast expanses of Russian countryside, it is vivid, alluring, and always giving consolation to the faithful… May God help us to preserve and save it".

The chairman of the Russian Culture Fund
Nikita Sergeevich Mikhalkov 29.IV.96

1995 saw the start of the cooperation between "Village Church" and the Russian Americans Congress. The Russian Americans, united by the Congress, warmly welcomed the activities and the purpose of "Village Church".

"Rescue of the dying churches - the integral part of our history, will be successful only if every one of us contributes their share".

The president of the Russian Americans Congress Georgy Borisovich Avisov.

Prince Piotr D.Galitzine has actively participated in the activities of the Center since 1995 for 10 years. This gave a new impulse to the organization.

"Without urgent measures these churches symbols of the Russian countryside will be irrevocably lost."

Prince Piotr D.Galitzine

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In 1999 the Centre, "Village Church", was given the status of an interregional public charitable organization.

A s a result of the program of the "Russian Village Church" by the end of 2005 more than 30 churches in the Tver, Moscow, Kaluga, Vladimir, and Tula Regions had received assistance for restoration work.

Our objects
Smolenskaya Church (1796)
In the village of Iljinskoe, Kymry District, Tver Region
Full-scale conservation work, restoration of the bell tower.

1989	1995	2001

Nikitskaya Church (1906)
In the Shoshinsky graveyard, Konakovo District, Tver Region
Full-scale restoration

1997

1999

2000

The Church of the Resurrection of Our Lord

In the village of Ponizovje, Kymry District, Tver Region
Restoration of the church and the bell tower, clearing of the foundation and the pedestal of the refectory


1989	1999	2001

The final restoration of these churches is being gradually carried out by the newly emerged parishes.