You're reading: Associated Press: Russians protest handing St. Isaac’s to Orthodox Church

Associated Press: Russians protest handing St. Isaac’s to Orthodox Church

Published March 19, 2017 at 10:17 am

People take part in a rally near the Saint Isaac's Cathedral to protest against the city authorities' decision to hand control of the country's largest cathedral to the powerful Russian Orthodox Church on March 18, in Saint Petersburg. The city is preparing to hand over control of the central St. Isaac's Cathedral - Russia's largest - to the Orthodox Church after decades as a museum.

Photo by AFP

ST. PETERSBURG – About 4,000 people have demonstrated in St. Petersburg to protest the handover of the city’s landmark St. Isaac’s Cathedral to the control of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The cathedral was taken over by the state during Soviet times and run as a museum. After the 1991 Soviet collapse it continued in that role, although it occasionally held religious services as well.