Russia: Putin visits Moscow's Diocesan House ahead of St. Vladimir commemoration

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Moscow's Diocesan House, Monday, ahead of the major Orthodox commemoration of the 1000th anniversary of the repose of St. Vladimir. Putin was shown around the building by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Rus'. The Russian president was joined on the visit by Moscow's Mayor Sergei Sobyanin and Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky. Patriarch Kirill presented Putin with an icon of St. Vladimir to thank the Russian president for his role in restoring the Moscow's Diocesan House over the last decade after it was ransacked by the Communists in 1924. Putin in return presented Moscow's patriarch with an icon of Our Lady of Kazan.