Bishop of Vologda and Veliky Ustiug Ignaty went to see to Kirillo-Belozersky Museum-Reserve on July 4. It was his first visit to Kirillov as a ruling hierarch of the Vologda eparchy.
First the delegation of clergymen headed by Bishop Ignaty got acquainted with the architectural ensemble of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery and went into the Assumption Cathedral where museum director Mikhail Sharomazov conducted a small tour. Then the guests visited the new exposition about the history of the monastery located in the Refectory and another permanent exhibition - “Old Russian Art of 15th-17th Centuries” – in the House of the Father Superior.
Bishop Ignaty also went to see the functional monastery, in particular, the Church of St. Sergey Radonezhsky where services were performed and the Church of St. John the Baptist. The visit of the representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church was also connected with the necessity to solve some legal issues. The matter concerned property interest of the Church in the sites of the architectural ensemble of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery. These questions were discussed at the meeting.
Mikhail Sharomazov, director of the Kirillo-Belozersky Museum-Reserve; Bishop of Vologda and Veliky Ustiug Ignaty; Nun Ksenia (Chernega), head of the Legal Service in the Moscow Patriarchate; S.V. Usov, head of the Kirillov district; Priest Georgy (Zaretsky), head of the legal department in the Vologda eparchy; Father Superior of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery Ignaty (Mochanov), Father Superior Dionisy (Vozdvizhensky), head of the church art department in the Vologda eparchy; A.A. Svetlichny, legal adviser of the Legal Service in the Moscow Patriarchate participated in the discussion. They made a decision to prepare a package of documents to hand over the sites of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery used by the monastery for the free use.
A problem emerged during the discussion: the brethren don’t have enough suitable dwelling rooms. The monks need extra rooms. But at present people are living in the building that is more convenient for the monastery. Therefore it is necessary to solve the issue of their rehousing.
To make full-scale church services, the sides agreed upon joint activity that would be stipulated in the cooperation agreement between the museum and the monastery. In particular, they will fix a procedure of services in the Church of St. Sergey Radonezhsky, the Church of St. Kirill Belozersky and the Assumption Cathedral.
Along with Kirillov, 
Bishop of Vologda and Veliky Ustiug Ignaty went to the Museum of Dionisy’s Frescoes. He raised a question about services in the Nativity of the Virgin Cathedral. Mikhail Sharomazov expressed the opinion of the museum and explained that it would be impossible to perform services in that church because of delicacy of the balance of the temperature and humidity conditions necessary to preserve the unique frescoes of the cathedral.
