VIDEO: Russian divers start building underwater church

A group of religous Russian divers have hit rock bottom to start building a new church — on a seabed. The ‘Hardened Beavers’ diving club in Sevastopol have begun construction of a Russian Orthodox place of worship almost660 feet off the coast of Crimea in the Black Sea. The first part of their church to be erected wasalmost 10 feetcross stylized sas an anchor, at a depth of around 60feet. Metro asked Boris Repin, head of the diving team, why they immersed themselves in this ambitious church-building project.

Q: Why are you building a church underwater?

– We can pray on the ground, of course, but we’d like to be able to do that in our favorite environment.

Q: How is your project developing so far?

– We are currently making descriptions of the features at the seabed relief. This map will help those who will be in charge of the construction efforts. First and foremost, we are examining everything in a radius of 165feet, then expand to 330.

Q: When do you expect the church to be completed?

– There will be no rush with that. After all, it must meet all the canons of the Orthodox Church, so it has to be possible to carry out everything that’ll be required.

Q: What type of underwater construction techniques are there?

– We haven’t decided yet how the church will be built. It’s obvious that you can’t just fold it out of brick and cement at a depth of about 197feet. We hope scientists will help us in informing how and from which material it will be possible to complete the construction.

Q: Most importantly, how will the church serve its purpose?

– Ideally, we’d like visitors to dive down to the church without scuba gear. But I don’t believe that’s possible. In any case, we will be consulting with representatives of the Orthodox Church to find out in what way the faithful can come and visit the church to pray. Religious canons should not be violated.