Russian President Vladimir Putin has honored a number of representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church with state awards.
Metropolitan Juvenal (Poyarkov) was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky for his great contribution to the restoration of spiritual and cultural heritage sites of important state and historical significance, and Abbess Margarita (Feoktistova), abbess of the Novodevichy Stavropol Convent in Moscow, was awarded the Order of Friendship.
For his services in ensuring the activities of the Council for Cooperation with Religious Associations under the President of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Educational Committee Archpriest Maxim Kozlov was awarded the medal of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland of the first degree, Metropolitan Gregory of Voskresensky, Managing Director of the Moscow Patriarchate, and Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations, the medal of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland of the second degree..
Hieromonk Guriy (Gusev), a monk of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, was awarded the Order of Courage for his courage, bravery and dedication shown in the performance of his civic duty.
The presidential decree on awards has been published on the official Internet portal of legal information.