MOSCOW. Jan 3 (Interfax) - The construction of a Russian Orthodox culture and religious center in Paris will soon be started, Russian presidential property manager Vladimir Kozhin said.

"A contract has already been signed with the company Bouygues, which will build the center. The work with the drawings is under way now. The construction itself will begin after the New Year's," Kozhin said in an interview with Interfax.

A project presented by Manuel Yanovski's Society of Architects and Developers (SADE, France) and Moscow-based Arch Group won the tender for building the Orthodox center in Paris.

The project will be financed from the Russian budget, but companies and individuals could also make contributions to it.

The 4,245 sq. m. area allotted for construction is located on Branly Quai in the 7th Arrondissement of Paris.

The center will include an Orthodox church, administrative buildings for the eparchy, multipurpose halls and rooms of a religious seminary, a dormitory for seminarians, and a library. The central part of the area will be allotted for a garden.

The Orthodox center in Paris should become a place for meetings and cultural events for the Russian community in Paris, for familiarizing Parisians with Russian religious culture, and for pastoral direction of Orthodox believers, Kozhin said earlier.

The full version of Kozhin's interview will be available later on www.interfax.ru.