Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill will arrive in Chukotka on Tuesday, September 6 on his first ever trip to the remote peninsula. He will consecrate the construction of two new churches during cornerstone ceremonies, one in Pevek and the other in Anadyr, Russia's northernmost and easternmost cities, RIA Novosti reports.

The Patriarch will first travel to Pevek for the cornerstone laying ceremony for the Church of New Martyrs and Priests of the Russian Orthodox Church. The 30 meter high wooden structure, designed by a Novosibirsk architect, will be built on piles. The church will have a capacity of 300 people.

The idea of building a church in Pevek was put forward by Chukotka Governor Roman Kopin and backed by Archbishop Matfei of Anadyr and Chukotka earlier this year. The project will be funded by the Vozrozhdeniye (Rebirth) Foundation, as well from donations by organizations and individuals, the Patriarchate's press service said.

On September 8, Patriarch Kirill will attend another cornerstone laying ceremony for a church, the Church of St. Prince Vladimir (Baptizer of Rus) Equal to the Apostles, outside Ugolny Airport in Anadyr. There, too, funding for the construction has come from Vozrozhdenye and voluntary donations. Designed by the same Novosibirsk architect, the Anadyr wooden church, also on piles, will be smaller than the one in Pevek: 24 meters high with a capacity of 200 parishioners.