Inspiring, majestic statue of St Nicholas, the powerful Wonderworker through the ages, to be placed at this strategic northwestern Russian venue above the Arctic Circle. Superb idea !
"St. Nicholas is the patron saint of the navy and all sailors, and his [planned new] statue will serve as a visible landmark, guiding ships to sea and back to shore.
[Russian Federation Northern Fleet Commander Admiral Nikolai] Evmenov, who initiated the project, presented ... a sketch of the layout of the monument, which is to be installed at the highest point on Salny Island in Kola Bay. The monument will be installed from the side of the Barents Sea, near the entrance to the Northern Fleet’s main base at Severomorsk.
The Northern Fleet held a reconnaissance mission to the site of the future monument back in August. Admiral Evmenov was accompanied by several of his men, and Schema-Archimandrite Iliy from the local Orthodox church on the island, reports tvzvezda.ru.
The figure of the saint will accompany sailors going out on expeditions, and will welcome those coming back from sea. It will be visible from all vessels heading to Severomorsk and Murmansk, and also all heading to the Barents Sea from Kola Bay.
“During the polar days, and with illumination during the polar nights, the monument will indicate the path to the ocean, and to native shores,” Evmenov noted.
http://orthochristian.com/113560.html
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About the geography of the little-known area mentioned in the above article, explaining Murmansk, which is the main city of this Arctic Circle region, and Severomorsk, its neighbor :
"Murmansk is the largest city in the world located above the Arctic Circle. Murmansk sea port is one of the largest ice-free ports in Russia....All nuclear-powered icebreakers are registered in this port. The port is the basis of the economy of Murmansk. The Northern Sea Route starts here.
The port is ice-free during the year due to the warm Gulf Stream waters. Severomorsk, a satellite city of Murmansk, is an important Russian Navy base.
Murmansk is located in the Atlantic-Arctic zone of temperate climate. The local climate is formed by the proximity of the Barents Sea, which enhances the effect of the warm North Atlantic Current. The average temperature in January is minus 9.2 degrees Celsius, in July - plus 13.8 degrees Celsius." - http://russiatrek.org/murmansk-city
Murmansk has a memorial for sailors who reposed in peacetime, the Church of the Savior on the Waters, though nowhere approaching the dramatic monument of St Nicholas under construction :
Russia is full of interesting places. I will say that I had wished to travel to Murmansk because the name and location sound so intriguing. I only had time to travel north to a different region, the White Sea, for my historical Church-related studies. In contrast to the Barents Sea where St Nicholas will be stationed, the White Sea does freeze in winters.
The coat of arms of Murmansk district reveals the preponderant seafaring focus of the area by a central image of an anchor :
Time to incorporate an image of the new statue of St Nicholas into the coat of arms !