On May 16, 2026, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, who arrived on a visit to the Orenburg Metropolis, consecrated the foundation stone of the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord in Orenburg. The historic cathedral, also known as the "Golden Cathedral", was located at 29 Embankment Street.
After the service, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church addressed the audience with a Primatial address. Patriarch Kirill called the laying of the foundation stone of the church a "good and historical deed" and emphasized the special importance of reviving church life in modern Russia.
According to His Holiness, churches in the country were closed and destroyed relatively recently, but today hundreds and thousands of churches are being built on Russian soil again. The Primate noted that this is not happening by order of the authorities, but due to the inner needs of the people, for whom the Orthodox faith remains a spiritual pillar.
"Russia today is an example of a very special civilizational development that combines advanced thought, technology, science, technology, and culture with the Christian faith," said His Holiness Patriarch Kirill.
He also stressed that the revival of the Orthodox faith has great historical significance and is linked to the future of the country, the strengthening of society and the preservation of the spiritual foundations of life.
Icons of Christ the Savior with the Patriarchal blessing were distributed to all those present.
After completing the rite, the head of the Presidential Cadet School, T.O. Mashkovskaya, and the students addressed His Holiness the Patriarch. The cadets presented the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church with a portrait of His Holiness and a painting depicting the chapel church in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "Derzhavnaya" at the Presidential Cadet School.
In response, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill donated an icon of the Archangel Michael to the cadet school, and a complete collection of his works for the library. At the end of the meeting, a general photo was taken of the Primate with teachers and students of the college.
The Transfiguration Cathedral has a special significance for the history of Orenburg. It was founded in the spring of 1746 and became the first stone temple in the city. The cathedral was built by the efforts of Orenburg governor Ivan Ivanovich Neplyuev, the architect was Johann Werner Muller. The church was consecrated on November 23, 1750.
For the gilded domes, the temple received the popular name "Golden Cathedral". Over the years, the Russian emperors Alexander I, Alexander II and Nicholas II prayed in it. Before the construction of the Kazan Cathedral in 1895, the Transfiguration Cathedral remained the main church of Orenburg and the Orenburg diocese.
In February 1930, the temple was closed, and in March 1931, the dismantling of the building began. In the 1990s, the Orenburg public had already taken the initiative to revive the cathedral, but then the project could not be implemented.
In 2015, the foundation of the cathedral was placed under state protection as an object of cultural heritage. In 2022, archaeologists from Orenburg State Pedagogical University discovered the foundation of the Transfiguration Cathedral during excavations.
In 2025, the owner of the Flagship LLC construction company, V.V. Pereletov, assumed the obligation to restore the temple under the integrated territory development agreement.
The revival of the Transfiguration Cathedral has become an important event not only for the Orenburg Metropolis, but also for the entire city, which is returning one of the main shrines of its historical memory.