The inauguration of the Cupola’s Fresco Paintings within the Russian Chapel at San Anton Palace, took place last Wednesday, the October the 9th.
The history of the Orthodox Chapel dates back to 1876, when the Palace became the official residence of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. As etched in history, The Duke was the second son of Queen Victoria, and his wife, Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna, was the daughter of Emperor Alexander II from the Romanov Dynasty.
Maria Alexandrovna used the chapel at San Anton as a place of worship in the Orthodox faith since she was a very devout in this respect. After the departure from Malta of the Duke and Duchess, the chapel continued to be known as the “Russian Chapel.” The mother of the last Russian Emperor Nicolay II, Maria Fedorovna, who fled Russia after the 1917 revolution, also prayed in this Chapel.
Nowadays the Russian Chapel is one of the most important symbols of Russo-Maltese relations. It is the venue for annual celebration of the Orthodox Christmas.
Taking into consideration the importance of the preservation of this unique piece of architecture, the President of Malta suggested that the Chapel should be restored. In order to continue the embellishment of the Cupola of the Chapel, a famous Russian artist Mr. Nicolay Mukhin, the member of the Russian Academy of Arts, was invited to paint the cupola.
Amongst the invitees for the celebration of the inauguration were the leaders of the country, Ministers and Parliamentarians, as well as the representatives of the Church and art organisations of Malta and Russian compatriots. Distinguished guests from Russia also attended the ceremony.
The delegation included high ranking Russian officials: H.E. Mr. Konstantin Kosachev, the Head of the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation, Mr. Andrey Klimov the Deputy Chairman of the Committee for International Relations, Mr. Igor Morozov member of the Federal Council, Mr Ivan Novitskiy member of Moscow Duma, Mr. Sergey Yastrebov, the Governor of Yaroslavl region of Russia and Mr. Igor Panevkin, Executive Director of the Foundation for Support and Protection of the Rights of Russian Compatriots.
During the ceremony the sculpture of “St. George” by the President of the Russian Academy of Arts Mr. Zurab Tsereteli was donated to the President of Malta and the Maltese people.
This event will become a historical milestone in the relations between our two countries and will continue to affirm the longstanding connections between Malta and Russia. It is worth noting that this year Russia is commemorating the 400 years of the start of the Romanov dynasty.
The Russian Chapel restoration project was also supported by the Russian compatriots living in Malta.
Gozo choir, Chorus Urbanus, will be giving a concert at the invitation of the President, tomorrow, Tuesday, the 15th of October.