Alexandr Korol

tell me how to behave in church. And since it was more casual, let’s say, not from my parents when you’re a child, but because you’re showing this interest yourself, it was great that I had the opportunity to ask someone. Normally, you might be shy to disturb someone in church to ask these things, but here you can ask whatever you want – and that’s great. I asked a lot of questions, and later shared much of what I learned in my books, helping readers to feel more at ease with the church, that there’s no need to fear it, that it’s a good place. Of course, there may be matrons who clean the candles, and they might snap at you in some cathedrals or churches – but that doesn’t mean the church is bad; it just means they’re keeping an eye on things, maintaining order. So, what did I take away from all of this? Well, it became interesting to me. I also learned socially and materially what it’s about: there’s the Moscow Patriarchate, different dioceses, and the St. Petersburg dioceses. It’s interesting how everything is organized, who is responsible for which church, which area, which parishioners there are, and what events they hold. It’s like a government service, similar to how there are municipal deputies and district administrations responsible for various things – the church operates the same way. They have plans and tasks, too. So, if there’s no iconostasis, it has to be set up; if there’s no dome or angel on the dome, it needs to be put in place. These technical, everyday tasks are common everywhere. But there are also respected church leaders, whom people come to from different cities for services and holidays – that’s interesting, too. Well, I learned all that, but what really caught my interest was when I spoke with the priests and asked them about different icons. I gave it a deeper meaning. It’s one thing when you walk into a church or cathedral casually and see an icon – you see it, but you’re afraid to take a photo, afraid it might be forbidden. You’re also hesitant to ask because everyone seems so serious, not eager to engage with you like a waiter serving you. They look grim, and you don’t want to disturb anyone in someone else’s church. But when you’re in your own church, of course, I started asking about every icon, and it became interesting: who is depicted, why this one, why this one is different, why this one is behind armored glass, and where it came from. It was really fascinating. And that’s when I first learned about the icon of “Faith, Hope, and Love,” and that they have a mother, Sophia, meaning philosophy, wisdom. I also later found out that there’s an icon with seven steps, which also leads to glory and grace.