TALLINN, MARCH 24, 2004, RIA NOVOSTI - Patriarch Alexis II of Moscow and All Russia has received two portraits of him as a gift from an Estonian artist, Aapo Pukk. They were handed over at a special ceremony in the Patriarch's Moscow residence Wednesday. In painting the portraits, Pukk used photographs taken during Alexis' September 2003 visit to a convent in Estonia.
Pukk's portraits of Alexis II were first unveiled to the public at an art gallery of the Russian Embassy to Estonia. The presentation was timed to coincide with the Patriarch's 75th birthday on February 23.
Patriarch Alexis II, whose secular name is Alexei Ridiger, was born and spent his early years in Estonia; his parents are buried here.
