Memorial Church, Mosque to be Built for Sunken Volga Ship

It has been announced that a memorial chapel and mosque will be built in the Tatarstani village of Syukeyevo in honor of the victims of the sinking of the Bulgaria, which sank near Syukeyevo on the Volga. The foundation stone for the chapel was laid at a ceremony yesterday by Archbishop Anastasiy of Kazan' in the presence of Tatarstani officials and local Tatar Muslim clergymen. More (in Russian) here.

Remains of 5,000 Purge Victims Uncovered in Tatarstan

The Russian Orthodox Church's Diocese of Kazan' has called upon the government of the Republic of Tatarstan (a member state of the Russian Federation) to establish a memorial to victims of Stalin's purges at Holy Dormition Monastery in Sviyazhsk following the discovery there of the remains of some 5,000 people killed between the 1920s and the 1940s when the site was used as an NKVD (later KGB) camp. The victims' remains were found during work to restore the monastery, which prior to its return to the Church in 1997 had been used as a mental institution and boarding school for delinquent boys (as well as the above). More here.