A Russian man who was sick and tired of watching his family’s money go to the church burned it down in a rage.
The Church of St. Basil the Great in the Russian settlement of Pargolovo, near Saint Petersburg, was destroyed by fire. The church’s wooden roof and walls caught fire quickly. If firefighters and churchgoers hadn’t acted quickly, the building probably would have been destroyed. Local news sites claimed many residents were in tears as they stared at their local church. But the grief soon transformed into rage directed towards the individual who caused the destruction. At first, many people blamed defective electrical wiring for the blaze, while others saw it as a sign from above to reconstruct the cathedral bigger and better than before. It didn’t take long, though, for investigators to zero in on the actual perpetrator: a local guy, aged 36, who, following a fight with his wife, had apparently resolved to get revenge on the church.
The father-of-four argued with his wife, a church worker since she donated all their money. After loading up on gasoline on Sunday morning, he drove to the church, doused the building in fuel, and then lit it on fire, making sure no one was inside.
It was said that the husband worked nonstop and that she donated almost all of his earnings to the church. This led to a disagreement between them. Finally, he came to the conclusion that he would either deal with the situation with his wife or do something about the church.
The man opted for the latter and never tried to hide his guilt from the authorities. He pleaded with the court to keep him in jail pending punishment, but the judge allowed him to go home instead. The frustrated arsonist is currently free, either because of the fact that he has no prior convictions or because of the four children he has. Thankfully, the interior of the Church of St. Basil the Great was mainly spared from the fire, despite the extensive damage done to the outside.
