Thousands of Orthodox Christians celebrate Council of Moscow Saints in Moscow
(MENAFN) Thousands of Orthodox Christians participated in a grand procession on Sunday to honor the Council of Moscow Saints, a feast of the Russian Orthodox Church dedicated to Moscow’s saints. The event revives a tradition that had been halted following the Russian Revolution in 1917.
The march was led by Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, and included clergy from the Moscow diocese, monastic communities, and lay followers. Organizers estimated the turnout at roughly 40,000 participants.
Attendees traveled from across Russia as well as countries such as the Czech Republic, Uzbekistan, Serbia, and Italy. The procession started at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in central Moscow and continued for 6 kilometers to the Novodevichy Convent.
Videos posted online showed clergy and worshippers carrying vibrant banners portraying saints, with crowds chanting the traditional “Christ is risen” and choirs responding, “Truly He is risen.”
“Moscow is a truly Orthodox capital of our homeland,” he told reporters after the service. “On the one hand, it is a city open to our brothers from other religions, recognizing their contribution to our common history, but at the same time it is a city that will never renounce its Christian heritage.”
The celebration commemorates the historic relocation of the Smolensk Icon of the Holy Mother of God from the Kremlin’s Annunciation Cathedral to the Novodevichy Convent, founded by Grand Duke Vasily III following the capture of Smolensk in 1525. The annual march in memory of this event continued for nearly 400 years until it was discontinued after the Russian Revolution.
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