World famous Museum-reserve “Chersonese” was again in the center of the scandal. The Crimean diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) has written to the papers to transfer her use of a significant part of the Museum complex. This step was perceived with hostility by the administration of “Chersonese”, which fears that if the reserve falls into the hands of the Church, it will cause him an irreparable
The Sevastopol deanery of the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate is not the first time trying to get into the property objects of Tauric Chersonesos. According to the Dean of Sevastopol district Archpriest Sergei Haloti, for the first time relevant documents in Rosimushchestvo the Church filed in November 2016. Then this event has passed unnoticed and has not received publicity in the media.
According to “the Independent television of Sevastopol”, at the end of 2016, the Russian authorities refused the Church in the consideration of their request, citing the fact that they provided incomplete package of documents.
This decision was not discourages the Sevastopol deanery, and on January 21, Sergei Haluta stated that he will re-apply for getting to use the objects of the Museum-reserve.
“We are preparing documents in order to fulfill the law 327, which, November 11, 2010: “On the transfer of Church property, which is state or municipal property”, — told local reporters Archpriest Sergius.
In a press-service of Tauric Chersonesos to the correspondent of the Crimea.The realities reported that the UOC claims to get almost all of the Museum reserve including exhibition halls, storage facility and restavracionnye workshops.
According to the law of God
“Chersonese” — a Museum-reserve, created on the site of the Polis, founded by Greeks in the V century BC and existed for two millennia. This city has a rich history, and thanks to the work of archaeologists here has been partially restored many architectural sites, including the Central square, the theater, the columns, the defensive tower, and others.
For the Orthodox Church Hersonissos has a great symbolic significance because here took Christianity of Prince Vladimir, which gave rise to the baptism of Kievan Rus. In 1852, in the Chersonesus ancient settlement was discovered monastery of St. Vladimir, and in the end of XIX century there appeared in St. Vladimir’s Cathedral. Since then, the site of Chersonesos coexist religious Ministers and the scientists leading the excavations here.
Interestingly, at the moment of the Sevastopol deanery of the UOC insists on receiving them in the property 24 objects of the reserve, on the grounds that they belonged to the monastery.
Sevastopol Archpriest Sergius insists that in Chersonesos territory should be erected a new Museum complex, which will contain the exhibits. According to him, now all values are premises of the former monastery, which, says the priest is “sacrilege.”
“So you need quietly, without conflict gradually come to understanding that God wants to return the gods and Caesar back to Caesar. We are obliged to obey the law. Our message can be, will help today and the Ministry of culture of the Russian Federation and the administration of the reserve to begin the process of genuine development of the National reserve”, — said Sergey Haluta.
The end for the Museum
The current administration of Tauric Chersonesos opposed to to give the most part of the reserve in the use of the Church. The Director of the institution Svetlana Melnikova maintains that if the authorities decide in favor of the Sevastopol deanery, the whole administrative, economic and cultural activities of the Museum-reserve will become impossible.
“The Ministry of culture could not fail to react to this document. The position is very clear and certain: this decision will cause great harm to the Chersonesos Museum-reserve and will not allow him further development. You have to understand that those buildings, which are claimed Simferopol diocese, are located the exhibition area of the Museum storages, restoration workshops,” — said Svetlana Melnikova live on NTS.
According to her, the Church is trying to present everything so that the objects of the Museum-reserve belong to them in accordance with Russian law. But, says Melnikova, by law, to qualify for a particular state property is the right of religious organizations, but this does not mean that their application should be granted.
“Formally transfer real. The current legislation provides for such a possibility. It is not a duty but a right of the Church to submit such a proposal or not. But it will be quite a long process. By law, after filing there is a period of up to six years of conducting this procedure. For the Museum it is difficult. The position of the Museum and the Ministry of culture is that such actions will prevent further development of the Museum-reserve”, — said the headmistress of Tauric Chersonesos in comments to RIA Crimea.
Return “pop Manager”
Attempts of the UOC to obtain ownership of most of the “Chersonese” — this is not the first conflict between the Church and the staff of the Museum-reserve over the last three years. The confrontation between them was reached in July 2015, when the then Russian Governor of Sevastopol Sergey Menyailo was appointed the Director of “Tauric Chersonesos” Dean of the Sevastopol district Sergei UOC Haluta. The man who now insists on the transfer of the Museum of the Church.
Then the labor collective of “Khersones” have staged protests against the appointment Haloti which, in their opinion, quite competent in museums and historical science. After that in Sevastopol protease Sergius jokingly became known as “pop Manager”.
Information about the conflict reached Moscow, and the Ministry of culture of Russia took a decision to send Haluta resigned a week after his appointment.
The dispute over “Chersonese” is not only between the Church and the secular administration of the Museum, but at a higher level — between Ukraine and Russia. 2013 “Chersonese” is located in the UNESCO world cultural heritage site, but after the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, international observers from UNESCO is unable to conduct its monitoring, as it does not recognize the Russian status of Sevastopol.
The Russian authorities have made “Chersonese” in the list of especially valuable objects of cultural heritage of Federal significance and state that they are going there to conduct a comprehensive restoration. Official Kiev, in turn, declares that, in accordance with international law, the Museum-reserve belongs to Ukraine. The Ministry of culture and the Ukrainian foreign Ministry repeatedly protested against the holding on the territory of “Chersonese” of restoration works, which with them is not consistent.
The Ukrainian government had no immediate comment on the current attempts of the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate to obtain ownership of a large part of the Museum-reserve. The Editors Of The Crimea.Realities sent to the press-service of the Ministry of culture of Ukraine a request for information and is awaiting a response.
