Aleksandr Lukashenko visits Church of All Saints in Minsk

    On Christmas, 7 January, President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko paid a visit to the Church of All Saints in Minsk.

    The Belarusian head of state and Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarch Exarch of All Belarus Filaret lit up a Christmas candle in honor of John the Forerunner.

    Aleksandr Lukashenko and Metropolitan Filaret exchanged Christmas gifts. The President presented the Metropolitan with a wall clock with carved decorations. Metropolitan Filaret gave Aleksandr Lukashenko the Icon of the Nativity of Christ.

    Then the President of Belarus listened to the Sunday school choir and studied the plans to complete the construction and the interior of the church.

    Aleksandr Lukashenko and his son Nikolai laid flowers at the monument to Patriarch Alexy II.

    The consecration ceremony of the foundation stone of the church took place on 4 June 1991. On 26 September the head of state attended the consecration and installation of three bells in the church on behalf of the President of the Republic of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II, and Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarch Exarch of All Belarus Filaret. On 2 July 2010 Aleksandr Lukashenko attended the ceremony of burying the remnants of unknown soldiers in the crypt of the Church of All Saints.

    The Belarusian head of state visited the Church of All Saints in 2011. He got familiar with the construction progress. The church is a unique project which pioneered in using many construction technologies. The church became the so-called experimental ground for the introduction of new construction standards.