Protection of the Holy Virgin Memorial Church
The Protection of the Holy Virgin Russian Orthodox Church is a parish of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) in Ottawa, Canada. The church is located at 99 Stonehurst Avenue in the Mechanicsville area of Ottawa and is part of ROCOR's Montreal and Canada Diocese.
The church was built in 1988 to celebrate the thousandth anniversary of the conversion of Russia to Christianity. It was paid for by ROCOR members from around the world. Alongside the church, St. Vladimir's Russian Residence, a seniors home , was built. Members of the residence make up much of the parish. The parish, which was founded in the 1950's, had previously been based in a structure at 267 Richmond Rd.
The church had been the subject of jurisdictional dispute between ROCOR and the Moscow Patriarchate. The dispute was resolved in court in favour of the parish staying under ROCOR. The parish has since grown significantly and has a bookstore, library, and Sunday school. It currently has a mix of new and old Russian immigrants and their offspring, as well as Serbs, Bulgarians and others.
Links
- Official website for Protection of the Holy Virgin Russian Orthodox Church
- Official website for Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR)