Russian patriarch visited Antarctica

Patriarch Kirill, having overcome the distance from Cuba to Paraguay, visited the Russian scientific base Bellingshausen at the request of the head of the Antarctic expedition Valery Lukin. For some, this event may seem insignificant, but not to the polar explorers. The conditions in which they hold an annual watch are dangerous and difficult, here atheists, like in the war, "disappear somewhere". In addition, this visit is deeply symbolic.

Russian Antarctica

James Cook, the great British discoverer, who had carved up the vastness of the entire Southern Hemisphere, came to the conclusion that there was no land here. He outlined his views in writing and expressed in them full confidence that no one would ever be able to repeat, let alone surpass his achievement. In the summer of 1819, Kronshtadt saw off two sloops, Vostok and Mirny on a long journey. These small ships (approximately 900 tons displacement) were led to the south by Russian naval officers, captain of the second rank Bellingshausen and Lieutenant Lazarev. They succeeded in something that the English could not. The expedition opened the sixth continent, it happened on January 6, 1820. The trip was long, the sloops returned to the shores of Antarctica once again, mapping all the new islands and giving them names in honor of the cities where the Russian army was crushing the Napoleonic troops during the Patriotic War, which ended very recently. And although some geographical objects were later renamed, the memory of Russian glory has always been preserved on this harsh land.

Station

The first Soviet Antarctic expeditions began in 1955. In the late sixties, as scientific interest grew, it was decided to found polar stations. In February 1968, the island of Waterloo became the location of one of them, named after the sailor-discoverer Bellingshausen. There are only thirteen people working here, eight of them all year round and five more in the summer season (in the Southern Hemisphere it starts at the same time as in the Northern Winter). Bellingshausen station is the northernmost, that is, closest to all the others to the equator, near it there is a Frey station belonging to Chile. The purpose of the scientific object is geographic, geological and biological research, in addition, it provides reliable radio communication, servicing fishing vessels. Power supply is carried out by three diesel generators with a total capacity of 225 kilowatts. And there is an Orthodox church here.

Temple

The initiative to create the Trinity Church came in the nineties from Valery Lukin, the head of the expedition, and Valentina Kuznetsova, the captain of Metelitsa, a women's sports team made up of brave explorers. With the support of Alexy II, a foundation was founded, donations to which Altai carpenters assembled a wooden structure with a fifteen-meter bell tower, then a year later (it took time to "stand up"), it was dismantled and partially delivered by sea from Kaliningrad to Antarctica. The architecture was managed by Svetlana Rybak, the artist Valery Grishanov supervised the creation of the iconostasis. Do not forget the builders and the living conditions for the priest, near the temple is also his dwelling place. In 2004, the church was consecrated, the first priest was ordained Hieromonk Callistratus. Since then, the ministers have changed, just like the polar explorers, once a year. In addition to spiritual nourishment, they commemorate the dead on the labor post of the polar explorers, and there were many of them.

Antarctic graves

With the consent of the relatives of the deceased or dead polar explorer, they are buried here, on the mainland, which became his last house. Tradition to the earth is not an appropriate expression, it is impossible to bury anything here, around the rocks, so the steel coffins are chained to the rocks. In the period of rapid development to half a thousand researchers, engineers and workers lived at stations. And they died, too. Ivan Khmara, the tractor driver whose car fell through the ice in 1956, was the first to die. Later there were other victims, people were lost (in the blizzard enough to lose the steering cable), there were fires, polar explorers could crawl into the cunningly hidden cleft, and the work of aviation in the polar zone is very dangerous. On the island of Buromsky, not far from the observatory "Mirny", one cemetery, 60 brave ones found their last shelter. At the station "Molodezhnaya" - another, larger in size. There was a village here with streets and an airfield. The graves of the pilots are kept by propellers. Priests have someone to remember in their prayers ...

Arrival

Guests are always welcome at Bellingshausen. In 2013, the rock band Metallica came here, and most recently the station was visited by American actor Tom Hanks, who paid $ 15,000 for a tourist permit. But the visit of the patriarch is a special matter. Of course, the interest was mutual. The road here is not close, and Father Cyril took the opportunity to learn as much as possible about the life of the polar explorers and their difficult service for the glory and for the good of the Motherland. The flight, thank God, passed safely, the plane took off from the airfield of the small Chilean town of Punta Arenas in the very south of the American continent, from where it's easy to get to Waterloo Island, and soon went over the turquoise icebergs to land. The weather was capricious, landing softness was not different, the airfield was not just a ground station, but rather rocky. Going down the ladder, the patriarch immediately went on a cross-country vehicle to the Holy Trinity Church, located on a small hill.

Invited

The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church served a liturgical moleben, a funeral for all those who died, performed the rite of the water consecration and communicated with the flock of the southernmost permanent temple on the planet. He found for each special words, presented an icon, images, as well as spiritual books, signing each of them and putting an autograph, not forgetting to recommend them to reading. All Russians, Chileans from the neighboring station (Catholics can participate in Orthodox services, for that is the special permission of the Pope), and, of course, journalists who were warned in advance that penguins can not be frightened can not be scared, like throwing cigarette butts. The stones are not recommended for memory, they are taken care of here. By the way, it is not so easy to approach penguins, they are sensitive, but Patriarch Cyril managed to be photographed next to them.

On the world we pray

The Primate delivered a sermon on the southern "roof of the world," in which he noted the exceptional symbolism of life on this continent, which differs from other regions of the world in the total absence of conflicts, like all military activities. There is no weapon here. Of course, the prayers were about peace in the whole world, so desired and necessary. In Antarctica, there are other Orthodox churches, the Bulgarian "Holy Clement of Ohrid" (Smolensk) and St. Vladimir (UOC-Moscow Patriarchate) at the station "Academician Vernadsky", but they only function when priests come here.

Penguins

The first of them timidly approached the patriarch still on the island of Waterloo, which in itself is rare, usually these animals flee only when they see a man. So it happened this time, in search of a successful shot, reporters rushed to Cyril's father, and the penguin hurried off to retreat. But the hierarch decided nevertheless to communicate with nice inhabitants and on a boat went to the nearest island, the habitat of a whole colony of these birds. Penguins reacted to this unusual visit for them very tolerantly and calmly, which surprised even the ornithologists. They feel, perhaps, that they came to the world.