<p><br /> Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has attended midnight mass in the church of the Intercession of the Mother of God in the small village of Turginovo in Russia's Tver region.<br /> </p><p><br /> Putin's ancestors have lived in Turginovo since the 17th century, with his grandmother buried at the local cemetery.<br /> </p><p><br /> Putin has visited Turginovo many times. The village was totally burned down as result of forest fires, and has since been completely rebuilt.<br /> </p><p><br /> According to Russia's state-run news agency, RIA-Novosti, the church was restored three years ago, with Putin partly funding the reconstruction with his own money.<br /> </p><p><br /> The Russian premier talked to parishioners as they celebrated Christmas. A local official presented him with a sweater which he wore during the mass.<br /> </p><p><br /> Patriarch Kirill led the evening's mass at Christ the Saviour Cathedral in the Russian capital Moscow.<br /> </p><p><br /> Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his wife Svetlana joined the congregation of more than 5,000 for the mass which was broadcast on national television.<br /> </p><p><br /> Orthodox Christmas was proclaimed a public holiday in Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.<br /> </p><p><br /> It is estimated that some 30,000 Russian Orthodox churches around the world will mark Christmas on January 7 as well as other churches that still use the Julian calendar.<br /> </p>
