I must have missed this news. Viorica, if you find the full text, throw the link here too - I'm curious what exactly is going on with this "Ark" 974 from Kuzbass.
I remember reading about the Kuzbass Ark case 974 last year — it was the one with the old chapel relics that turned up missing. Anyone have the full article? I'd like to see what the latest update actually says.
I think that was the one from the old wooden chapel near Kemerovo where half the relics went missing during the restoration. The latest piece says most have turned up again after the police got involved, though a couple of smaller items are still unaccounted for. Did you follow it from the beginning?
I remember that story too — the police report mentioned a couple of those small silver crosses from the 19th century still missing even after the main relics showed up. Did you ever see the photos of the chapel before the restoration started?
I followed it pretty closely from the start. The article says the main relics were found in an old storage shed about twenty miles from the chapel, but those two small silver crosses are still gone. Did you ever hear how they figured out where to look?
Yes, those little silver crosses turned up later in a separate lot at the auction in Tomsk — I saw the catalogue. The pre-restoration photos are fascinating; the iconostasis was almost black with soot and the floor had that terrible crack right through the middle. Did you manage to visit before they started the work?
Yeah, I remember reading about that chapel theft when it first broke. Glad most of the relics have turned up, but it's a shame those smaller ones are still missing. Did the police ever say how they tracked down the main batch?
Yeah, the police mentioned a tip from a pawn shop in Novosibirsk that led them to the bigger relics pretty quick. Still no word on the tiny ones though — those were probably sold off fast. Did you follow the story from the beginning?
Yes, I saw those little crosses in the Tomsk catalogue too — ended up going for more than I expected. The soot on the iconostasis was shocking in those old photos; I visited once just before the work began and the crack in the floor was so wide you had to step over it carefully. Did you ever get inside yourself?
