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The new church in Rybnitsa, 16 years under construction, is the largest in the country

RYBNITSA (Tiraspol Times) - On Tuesday, Pridnestrovie officially inaugurated the country's largest house of worship: A new mega-church bearing the name of Michael the Archangel which can hold two thousand faithful at a time. The inauguration was timed to coincide with the 378 year anniversary of the city of Rybnitsa, also held Tuesday.

Completed over a period of 16 years, the construction went forward in fits and starts due to a frequent lack of financial resources. According to Yury Dombrovsky, Director of the Assistance for the Temple Revival Fund, about 2 million PMR rubles (approximately US$235,000) were used for constructing the new church. The money was collected mainly through offerings by enterprises and citizens.

The first stone in the base of the new church was placed in the foundation during November 1990, just two months after Pridnestrovie's independence declaration, by local PMR architect P.G. Yablonskiy. A year later, on 21 November 1991, the first divine service was held; however, further building was ended because of the complex economic situation in the unrecognized republic. Construction was renewed in the year 2000.

Today, a three-storied belfry summons parishers for worship. It has eleven bells, imported from abroad: The biggest bell weighs more than 1.5 tons and the smallest just four kilos.

Still in the works: A three-storied parish house on the grounds, housing a library, cafeteria, school and living quarters for the priests.

One of 80 Christian Orthodox churches in PMR

Michael is the archangel mentioned in the Bible's Book of Revelation 12:7. Catholics refer to him as St Michael the Archangel and also simply as St Michael, while Orthodox Christians refer to him as the Archangel Michael.

The new church sets a record. It is the largest church not just in Pridnestrovie, but in neighboring Moldova as well. During the opening of the new church, current president Igor Smirnov noted that in the 1990's, the Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublica had just three Christian Orthodox churches. Today, there are more than 80.

Although the Christian Orthodox church has the largest number of adherents in the country, it is not guaranteed any special treatment. On 14 April 2004, Pridnestrovie's parliament refused to approve a draft law which would limit the rights of non-Orthodox religious groups in the republic.

Believers note that it took 16 years for the church to be inaugurated; the same age as Pridnestrovie. The new and emerging country declared independence 16 years ago, on 2 September 1990. Also known as Transnistria or Transdniester, it meets all the requirements for sovereign statehood under international law. Its de facto independence independence has not yet been recognized internationally.

The inauguration of the new church, the largest in the country, was noted with the simultanous issue of a commemorative silver coin by nation's Central Bank. (With information from Infotag)

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