Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, has blessed newly sworn-in President Vladimir Putin in the 15th-century Annunciation Cathedral.

The Patriarch performed a prayer service at the cathedral, considered the jewel of Russian architecture. One of the greatest medieval churches in the Russian capital, it once served as a private church of the Muscovite monarchs.

After the prayer, the patriarch addressed the head of state on behalf of all clergy and believers, saying that all of these people supported Putin because they see him as “a leader who, apart from successfully managing the country, is also a person devoted to his motherland.”

Putin’s swearing-in ceremony took place at the Andreyevsky Hall of the Kremlin Grand Palace earlier on Monday. In his speech after the ceremony, the president pledged to do his best to keep Russia a prominent world power and make life better for its citizens.