The Archimandrite Oleg (Cherepanin) noted: “The Samui temple was built because of the strong-willed decision, the desire of one person who owns maybe 80 percent of the funds for the purchase of land and the construction. He is not a businessman, but a top manager, and these were significant disbursements for him, but his faith was so that, because he visits Samui quite often, several times a year, he wanted the temple to be there. <…> when the walls and domes have already appeared, the people began to respond more quickly, seeing that construction <…> But we are very grateful to this man who showed his will and inspired me to this”.14
14 The Ascension Cathedral, isl. Samui // Orthodox Thailand. 2013. November.
Analyzing the situation in the Orthodox temples in Thailand the Archimandrite Oleg made the following conclusion: “All temples are located there where mainly a large number of our citizens and citizens of the CIS live or rest. Basically, these are the resort areas. Bangkok, clearly, is the capital, there are a lot of missions here – the diplomatic, the trade missions. Pattaya, Phuket, Samui are the largest resorts. Huahin is also a famous resort, where one can note in recent years the increase of the Russian presence. Compatriots often acquire real estate here.
In Huahin there is already a Russian restaurant and its own Diaspora. And of course there is a need in the Orthodox Church. I must say that all our churches are selfsufficient, they are all demanded and profitable. To talk about the number of congregations in Thailand is difficult because the Orthodox churches here are visited here both by those compatriots who reside in Thailand and tourists. Our churches are also visited by the locals”.15
15 The Archimandrite Oleg (Cherepanin): “Our fundamental position is not to put any pressure and violence upon Thais” // patriarchia.ru, August, 7, 2013 (date of access: 24.07.2014).
The idea of necessity to create an Orthodox monastery arose from recognition of the need to have in Thailand an Orthodox cemetery. The Archimandrite Oleg (Cherepanin ) reported in an interview in 2011: “Recently we were able to purchase land in the province of Ratchaburi to stage the Orthodox cemetery – because, as you know, in Thailand, the bodies of dead people are not buried but burned. The cremation is carried out in the Buddhist monasteries here, although the local monks say they do not perform any rites, it could not be so because there is a particular order of cremation in religious institutions. Therefore, the question what will happen to us after death, is very important and I mean not only the soul but also the body: To bring the body to the home-land and to be buried as a Christian, the relatives have to pay 6-7 thousand dollars. And I urge upon tourists, who usually come to Thailand to do some extreme things, to remember about this”.16
