Special visit to ACN

Today the ACN UK office received a very special gift from one of our good friends, Nick Goryachkin. Nick, the Executive Director of Blagovest Media, presented Neville and the team with a wonderful icon from the Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St Petersburg, Russia.

ACN staff with Nick Goryachkin (third from left)

 

The Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Lavra was established by Peter the Great as the first and the largest monastery of St Petersburg in 1710.

Famous for its four historical cemeteries, tourists still flock to visit the site where St Petersburg‘s aristocracy and the most outstanding people are buried, including Dostoevsky and Tchaykovsky.

The Skladen icon, set in a beautiful red velvet box, displays images on two folding panels of the Virgin Mary and of Christ Pantocrator. It was blessed by Russian Orthodox Bishop Nazary who has been Abbot of the Lavra (major monastery) of Alexander Nevsky, St Petersburg for 14 years and bishop of Viborg for the last seven.

Icon blessed by Russian Orthodox Bishop Nazary

Aid to the Church in Need has previously worked with Bishop Nazary to help fund the the Cultural and Inter-Denominational Centre for Dialogue.

The centre has since hosted a festival of Christian films as well as providing a space for discussion between different Christian groups.

Nick stopped by the ACN office after visiting the Anglican Bishop of Coventry to discuss a new film about reconciliation set to be filmed in the UK.

To read about ACN's previous work with the Russian Orthodox Church, visit: http://www.acnuk.org/key-projects.php/144/

You can also find us on Twitter at @acn_uk