PARIS (AP) — The patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church consecrated a prominent new church Sunday near the Eiffel Tower seen as a controversial symbol of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s influence in Europe.

Patriarch Kirill, a close ally of Putin, led the elaborate sanctifying ceremony in the Saint Trinity Church on the banks of the Seine River, the gold-domed centerpiece of a 100 million euro ($106 million) complex owned by the Russian government that will include a cultural center and a school.

The hours-long ceremony included the consecration of the altar, a procession around the grounds and the placing of relics, accompanied by an all-male choir and the rich smells of incense.

The Paris mayor, Russian model Natalia Vodianova, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev’s wife Svetlana and members of France’s large Russian community crowded into the invitation-only, high-security event in the imposing, block-shaped white church.

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