On May, 23 Bldg. XII hosted the opening of the exhibition within the Scientific and Educational Project titled the Saratov Temples: History and Modern Times. It was commemorated to the celebration of the Days of Slavic Writing and Culture. The participants included representatives the university administration, the Saratov diocese, Minister of Internal Affairs and Public Relations of the Saratov Region Ye.Yu. Shcherbakova, and SSU professors and students.
Students of the Faculty of Philosophy had carried out extensive research and consulted with clergymen, theologians, culture specialists, and ethnographers. The ceremony hosts spoke about the project development: excursions for grammar and Sunday schools would be held.
The exhibition consisted of pictures of B.M. Mozer, modern photos of temples, including the SSU Temple of Equal-to-the-Apostles Saints Cyril and Methodius, old prints of the city, and greeting cards.
The participants learnt about the history of other church buildings in the city, e.g. Soothe My Sorrows Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saint Mary, etc. As for an interactive part of the event, Engineer of the SSU GIS Education and Innovation Center D.P. Khvorostukhin spoke about prospects of 3D-modelling. Thus, one of the exhibition items was a 3D-model of the Temple of Equal-to-the-Apostles Saints Cyril and Methodius. The engineer commented the technology is used for construction and reconstruction monitoring and analysis. There was also shown the film about the project implementation made with the help of the Saratov Diocese Film Studio.
The ceremony was visited by Metropolitan Longin of Saratov and Volsk as well.
‘We lost a massive part of our history: temples, monasteries, and other city sacraments of our nation were destroyed by our ancestors. It is a tragedy, but many people do not understand it. Even today the monuments are being demolished, and nobody pays attention to it. A few dozens of people cannot change the situation. When our sacraments and temples were destroyed, the normal life of our society came to its end. Therefore, the job done by the exhibition moderators is important,’ said the metropolitan.
SSU Rector A.N. Chumachenko addressed the participants, too.
‘I hope students will not only be interested in this research, learn about historical aspects of temples and other buildings connected with the city and the Saratov region, but broaden the scopes of their research,’ pointed out A.N. Chumachenko.
He added that the exhibition would be presented to the Saratov Diocese.
Minister of Internal Affairs and Public Relations of the Saratov Region Ye.Yu. Shcherbakova also expressed her opinion on the event.
‘Shame on nations that do not remember their past and see the achievements of previous generations, nations that violate their history and their country. Our peoples have got through tough times, and high-spirited people grieve for it. And the Slavic nations are known for that as they lavish their kindness. I wish our youth would preserve the generosity and wisdom of our culture,’ marked the minister.
The project titled the Saratov Temples: History and Modern Times had been prepared by the students of the SSU Department of Theology and Religion Studies, the SSU Department of Philosophy of Culture and Cultural Studies together with divisions of the Saratov Diocese.
