Gas was released into Slobodskoy's oldest church.

      In Slobodskoy, work has been completed on the gasification of the Yekaterininsky Cathedral, one of the oldest churches in the Kirov Region, built in 1699. The building is now connected to the gas supply network, the regional Ministry of Energy and Housing and Communal Services reported, the press service of the Kirov Region government said.

      For the gasification, specialists from Gazprom Gas Distribution Kirov laid 434 meters of gas pipeline, installed three boilers and a gas meter. Previously the church was heated with firewood, which made it difficult to maintain warmth.

      The cathedral’s rector, Archpriest Sergey Pentin, noted that with the arrival of gas it will become “warmer and more comfortable” inside. Two services are held in the church daily, and worshippers come here not only from the region but also from other parts of Russia.

      According to the companies’ general director, Alexander Chilikin, connection to gas has become an important part of the cathedral’s restoration. Work on the building’s reconstruction is ongoing, and the new heating will make the operation of the church more economical and safer.