Under a Russian federal government directive, the Gothic structure on Ulitsa Stankevicha and an adjacent parsonage are to "be transferred to the Anglican Church in Moscow for perpetual use free of charge," said Holly Smith, a member of the church council who has been working on the legal aspects of the transfer.
"It is not ownership, which is unfortunate," Smith said. "If you want to make any structural changes you have to do it with permission."
The church will belong to the federal government while control over how it is altered and maintained will be under the jurisdiction of a Moscow city government department, Smith said.
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