Legal Wrangle Over St Nicholas Cathedral in Nice Finally Over

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On Wednesday, Xenia and Nikita Krivoshein, acting as spokesmen for the Russian émigré community in France, told Interfax-Religion that the Russian government finally ended its legal battle concerning the property of St Nicholas Cathedral in Nice, stating, “On 10 April 2013, the Court of Cassation, the highest legal organ of the French Republic, announced that it completely rejected the complaint of the Russian Orthodox Religious Association (ACOR) of Nice (which claimed the cathedral: Interfax)”. Thus, the court ruled that the Russian state is now unequivocally the legal owner of St Nicholas Cathedral in Nice, “the law and simple good-sense prevailed over sectarianism and denial of reality”.

In 1923, ACOR leased the church for 99 years, and, in 1931, it passed into the jurisdiction of the Patriarchal Exarchate for Orthodox Parishes of Russian Tradition in Western Europe (Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople). On 19 May 2011, a French court confirmed that the Russian state had legal ownership of the church property in Nice. Then, the Russian government decided to hand over the property to MP Diocese of Korsun for its free and unlimited use. However, the Council of the Patriarchal Exarchate for Orthodox Parishes of Russian Tradition in Western Europe continued to consider itself the lawful possessor of the cathedral. In December 2011, Sergei Bolkhovitin, a mid-level official of the Russian Presidential Administration, handed over the keys of the cathedral in Nice to its new rector, Archpriest Nikolai Ozolin.

Today’s decision by the Court of Cassation in France marks the end of the long litigation over the legal ownership of the Russian cathedral in Nice. Now, members of the Russian émigré community hope that the Russian government will move on its claim to other major church buildings erected in Europe by the Russian Empire. Nikita Krivoshein noted, “Most of them are in poor condition and falling apart due to the poor maintenance done by their present temporary users. One can only hope that the decision concerning Nice will serve as a precedent for the resolution of similar situations in Paris, Biarritz, and other cities”. He emphasised that this year’s Holy Week services “at the Russian cathedral in Nice won’t be overshadowed by any external factors”.

St Nicholas Cathedral is one of the most visited historical attractions on the Côte d’Azur. Built in the early 20th century, the French state added it to its list of protected architectural monuments in 1987. Beginning of restoration work on the building will begin this year, financed by the Russian state and private sponsors. At present, it’s anticipated that the work will take two years to complete.

10 April 2013

Interfax-Religion

http://interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=50771

Editor’s Note:

When the Parisian modernists lost the court battle over St Nick’s, it was their death sentence. The funds raised from entrance fees to the church were the backbone of the Parisian budget. Frankly, the Phanar may give the Exarchate parishes a choice… go under Moscow, go under the Greek bishop for their area, or go vagante. Remember, the Phanar rejected all the proposed successors to Gabriel de Vylder. In short, even the EP sees that the Parisian Russians are a bad bet, a rum lot, and “dead men walking”.

SVS kissed the arse of the Parisians since the time of the Schmemann-Meyendorff duopoly. Now, there are noises that SVS wants to go EP if the OCA goes under. If they do, they won’t have the independence that they’ve enjoyed up to now (let’s be frank… ADS & Co took advantage of the spineless-jellyfish poofter weakling Feodosy). The Phanar would make them toe the EP party-line unreservedly and without complaint, and that’s that. Just sayin’… do pass the popcorn, the show isn’t completely over, yet… Rue Daru IS next, after all…

BMD

18 December 2012. Video. There’s Good Shit Out There… Les Enfoirés… Encore un autre hiver (Again, It’s Another Winter)

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None of the famous performers in this vid took a busted sou. All the money raised went to the good works of Les Restos de Coeur. Now, that’s GOOD SHIT… Coluche is looking down from heaven, smiling. These are bastards (enfoirés) who put their money where their mouth is.

BMD

 

9 December 2012. There’s GOOD SHIT Out There… Like Restaurants du Cœur in France

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Here’s the theme song of Les Enfoirés

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In 1985, the French comedian Calouche had an idea. He said, “I have a little idea, a bit like this… if there are people who’d be interested in sponsoring a free soup kitchen, we’d start first in Paris and then spread to France’s big cities”. It snowballed from there, especially after Calouche’s death in a motorcycle accident in 1986. If you’d like to know more about them (or to help), click here for their official website. Click here for a page that has a vid with their 2012 appeal on it. To help raise funds, French and Francophone celebrities take part in a concert called Les Enfoirés (idiomatically, the bastards, the assholes, the tossers… click here for the official website). Now, this is heavy-duty reality… and it shows that secular people are just as kind and charitable as religious people are (yes, the groups overlap in this instance, but the point still holds true).

I’m tired of treacly pseudo-religious sorts who imply that unbelievers are nasty and feral types. In fact, I’ve found the opposite to be true in many instances. People do NOT reject religion out of perversity or because of “off” religious people. Part of it is that we simply do NOT live our faith, and that’s that… so, it appears rubbishy and self-serving. In other cases, the case for religion is so badly-put that it appears imbecilic and ignorant. Above all, all too many “Christians” treat the non-religious with contempt… that’s what I’ve seen; that’s what I’m reporting. The worst offenders are the most “religious”, I’ve found, so, I’m doubly-cautious of anyone who seems rather too “churchy”. When it’s coupled with Far Right political maundering, well, I do keep my distance from such. My goal is to be good, not to look good.

BMD

Addendum:

Some Observations from Calouche:

• Do you know why the French chose the rooster as a symbol? It’s the only bird that sings despite having its feet in the shit.
• There’s two types of justice… one, you have a lawyer who knows the law; two, you have a lawyer who knows the judge.
• February is the month of the year when politicians say the least bullshit; that’s because the month only has 28 days.

“Moscow-on-Seine” Orthodox Cathedral by Eiffel Tower gets Green Light

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A massive Russian-style cathedral is set to transform the iconic skyline of the French capital, Paris. In the wake of Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev‘s visit to Paris, his French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault said that France backed the construction of a controversial Orthodox cathedral not far from the Eiffel Tower. During a press conference with Medvedev, Ayrault said, “France shall stick to the realisation of the project. However, to build in Paris is more difficult than elsewhere, due to all the architecture and heritage protection laws”.

Moscow‘s plan to build a large cathedral and cultural centre with five onion domes and an undulating roof of glass panels beside the River Seine was stopped earlier this month. Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoë described the project as “pastiche architecture” and an “ostentation totally unsuitable for the banks of the Seine”. Russia bought the 4,000-square-metre (43,055 square feet. 0.4 hectare. 1 acre) land plot that once hosted the headquarters of the French weather service in 2007 for about 60 million UK Pounds (3 million Roubles. 96 million USD. 75 million Euros). Medvedev finalised plans to build a second Orthodox cathedral in Paris with then-French president Nicolas Sarkozy in 2010.

However, when the joint design by Spanish architect Manuel Nuñez, agency Sade, and Russian company Arch Group was unveiled, many Parisians raised their eyebrows. They soon dubbed the project “Moscow-on-Seine”. The French government subsequently suspended an agreement with Russia whereby it pledged to study ways to make the building “harmoniously fit the surrounding landscape”. Ayrault said in conclusion, “I’m sure we’re on the right track to find a good project. I’m sure we’re going to find a solution”. Tens of thousands of Russians live in or near Paris. In the 1920s, the French capital became a favourite destination for anti-Bolshevik “White Russians” fleeing the Communist takeover of Russia.

28 November 2012

International Business Times

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/409305/20121128/paris-orthodox-cathedral-moscow.htm

Editor’s Note:

Let’s keep this one simple. On the one hand, you had the Mayor of Paris, homosexual activists, and posturing pseudo-intellectuals (think the SVS crowd, and you’ll have ‘em nailed). On the other hand, you had the Russian government and the powerful builders’ trades union. There was NO contest. However, Hollande had to mollify the loud activists, so, he took a week to make his decision to allow them to posture to their heart’s content. Now, it’s time for real work, and the project’s going forward, as originally planned. After all, Russia ships in the natural gas and the builders’ union has a lot of clout. This was over before it even started…

BMD

 

Hollande Under Pressure Over Paris Russian Orthodox Cathedral… Plans Suspended for Russian Cathedral in Paris

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According to reports, François Hollande is under growing pressure to approve plans for a Russian Orthodox cathedral and cultural centre near the Eiffel Tower or risk straining diplomatic relations with Moscow. The plan to build the whitewashed cathedral, complete with five golden domes reaching up to 85.6 feet (26 metres) high, was meant to “promote Russian civilisation”, and comes “directly” from President Vladimir Putin. However, the design caused controversy in Paris, earning some strong criticism from President Hollande’s ally and mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoë, who described it as “an ostentation” of “pastiche architecture” and “mediocre”.

As the deadline for approving the cathedral building contract approaches on 29 November, pressure’s been mounting on Mr Hollande, who has the final word. According to the Journal du Dimanche, his cabinet held a special meeting without the mayor last week; Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev will visit Paris two days before the deadline. Nevertheless, officials in the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs said, “We hope the project will move forward”. In what appears to be an attempt at compromise, the French Ministry of Culture said it was holding, “discussions with the Russian state and the Orthodox Church to define adaptations and improvements to the project, to permit its construction”. Russia purchased the 45,692 square foot (4,245 square metres. 1.05 acres. 0.4 hectare) property for 70 million Euros (£56 million) two years ago from France, as part of a French programme to sell off little-used, state-owned buildings to help reduce debt.

11 November 2012

Devorah Lauter

The Daily Telegraph (London UK)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/9670446/Francois-Hollande-under-pressure-over-Paris-Russian-Orthodox-cathedral.html

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The French government said that Russia suspended its bid for a permit to build an Orthodox church with five domes on the Seine riverbank in Paris after the mayor of the world’s most-visited city labelled the project a showy eyesore. Ahead of a Paris visit next week by Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev, France’s culture and foreign ministries said in a joint statement that Moscow agreed to review the plan, which is close to President Vladimir Putin’s heart, noting, “The Russian Federation has decided a provisional suspension of its request for a construction permit”. Wary of diplomatic sensitivities, a government official insisted that the parties involved would reach a compromise.

In Moscow, the Kremlin‘s property management department said that it’d study ways to make the planned building “harmoniously fit the surrounding landscape”. Then-President Nicolas Sarkozy endorsed the project to build a church and cultural centre in central Paris was in 2010, but at the time, the design was only in an embryonic stage.

Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoë described the final plans, with five golden domes and a wavy glass roof that would share the skyline with the nearby Eiffel Tower, as “ostentatious” and unsuited to a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Russia bought the land for the church and cultural centre in 2007, a 4,000-square-metre (0.4 hectare. 1 acre. 43,000 square feet) plot less than a kilometre (0.62 mile) from the Eiffel Tower and overlooking the Seine. Paris already has a Russian Orthodox church, the St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, but it reports to the Patriarch in Constantinople, outside the control of the MP.

Putin has been pushing to increase the MP’s influence abroad, especially in areas with large expatriate Russian communities. He viewed the reunification of the New York-based Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) and the MP in 2007 as one of his biggest achievements as a Russian leader. Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev of Moscow came under criticism in Russia after he openly sided with Putin during his recent presidential campaign, calling his rule “a miracle of God”.

Public opposition to the church’s increasing political engagement culminated in an anti-Putin performance by the feminist punk band Pussy Riot inside the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow. Two band members are now in jail. With 165 million members, the Russian Orthodox Church (sic) is the second largest in Christianity after the 1.3-billion strong Roman Catholic Church. Its profile has risen both at home and abroad since the end of Soviet communism in 1991.

22 November 2012

Vicky Buffery

Gleb Bryanski

John Irish

Reuters

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/11/22/uk-france-russia-church-idUKBRE8AL0R020121122?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews

Editor’s Note:

It’s rather simple and straightforward. Delanoë is openly gay… he’s attacking the project because he supports both gay activists and anti-government oppositionists in Russia. Any questions? I didn’t think so…

BMD

 

Chagall’s Biblical Message

The Creation 

Marc Chagall

1960

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Adam and Eve and the Forbidden Fruit

Marc Chagall

1960

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Paradise

Marc Chagall

1960

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The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil

Marc Chagall

1960

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The Expulsion from the Garden of Eden

Marc Chagall

1960

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The Face of Jacob (Israel)

Marc Chagall

1960

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At present, Marc Chagall’s Bible illustrations from Irina Stezhka’s private collection are on display at the International University in Moscow. Art collector Irina Stezhka told VOR that the exhibition features the Chagall’s lithographs created at the Fernand Mourlot atelier in 1960, saying, “These are top-quality works, they’re perfect”. Later, the artist destroyed the lithograph stones that he used, whilst the prints appeared to be scattered across the world’s major libraries, including the Library of Congress. Stezhka noted that although Chagall is very popular in Russia, his illustrations for the Bible aren’t that well-known; this makes the exhibition exceptional, as this is the first presentation of the lithographs in Russia. The Bible always inspired Chagall; he called it, “The greatest source of poetry of all time”. Each of Chagall’s Old Testament illustrations is part of his Biblical message. The artist worked on the project for decades.

Chagall first had an idea for the Bible illustrations idea in the 1920s, supported by the famous art dealer Ambroise Vollard, who ordered a series of illustrations from the artist in 1930. Vollard sponsored a trip by Chagall trip to Palestine, as Chagall said he couldn’t work without feeling the Holy Land. Chagall later told a friend that Palestine gave him “the most vivid impression he’d ever received” and inspired the lithographs. However, Vollard’s death and the beginning of World War II halted the project and the lithographs were ready only in the late 1950s. According to Chagall, the illustrations reflected the integrity, continuity, and microscopic nature of our existence. Chagall wrote in 1960, “Since I started using a pencil, I’ve sought for this certain something that could spread like a stream toward unknown and alluring shores. When I held a lithographic stone or a copperplate in my hand, I thought I was touching a talisman. It seemed to me that I could put all my joys and sorrows in it…”

25 November 2012

Armen Apresyan

Voice of Russia World Service

http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_11_25/Chagall-s-Biblical-message/