Voronkovo: Turning weapons into plowshares...

This is Voronkovo from the air (location: 47°41'N 029°06'E). Voronkovo is a village near Rybnitsa, in Pridnestrovie, and it is known for two things: A huge Cold War military air base, and a famous Christian church.

Today, Voronkovo's Soviet-era military installations have been abandoned. As can be seen from the air, the airfield's 2500 meter long runway has now been turned into peaceful farmland. Agricultural fields now cover what was once a military base long ago. It is a symbol of the new Europe, and proof that Pridnestrovie wants peace, not war. The military base is closed for good, never to be opened again ever.

But the Church of the Blessed Virgin's Assumption is still open! For the religious community of Pridnestrovie, this church in Voronkovo has a very special significance: It is the only church in Pridnestrovie which was never once closed, not even during Soviet times when all other churches had to close. The construction of the church was completed in the year 1800 and it is still open and functioning today, standing much as it did when it first opened its doors.