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Russians in Slovenia laid flowers at Russian chapel on Vrsic pass

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Russians in Slovenia laid flowers at Russian chapel on Vrsic pass


26.07.2022


On July 24, representatives of the Russian Center in Maribor, together with members of the Coordinating Council of Russian Compatriots and representatives of the Russkiy Mir in Slovenia informal community, visited the Russian Chapel on the Vrsic Pass and laid flowers at the Sons of Russia monument.

A local resident, Simon Oblak, met them near the chapel. He has been collecting materials and keeping a historical chronicle for 30 years. All these years, as soon as the snow melts, Simon comes and opens the chapel so that tourists passing by can get to know it. In several languages, including Russian, he tells those who come to the chapel many interesting facts and legends related to this historical place. The chapel was built by Russian prisoners of war in memory of their firends who died in this place during the construction of the road through the pass in March, 1916 as a result of an avalanche. This year, the building turned 106 years old. The Orthodox chapel bears the name of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir.

For many years, representatives of the authorities of Russia and Slovenia, local residents, Russian compatriots gathered near the Russian Chapel on the Vrsic Pass. In 2016, the year of its 100th birthday, Russian President Vladimir Putin took part in memorial celebrations near the chapel.

Last year, the presidents of Russia and Slovenia agreed to establish the Day of Russian-Slovenian Friendship, which was to be celebrated on the last Saturday of July, thus emphasizing the importance of the Russian Chapel for the friendship of the two Slavic peoples. For more than 25 years, the Slovenia-Russia Friendship Society has been organizing memorial celebrations near the chapel on Vrsic. The Russkiy Mir Foundation has been one of the main patrons of ceremonial events near the Russian Chapel for seven years.

Igor Romanov, Maribor

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