In Orthodox churches there is always a procession of the cross on Easter. This solemn procession symbolizes the path of the church towards the good news of the resurrection of Christ. It is held annually on the night from Holy Saturday to Easter Sunday. The clergy and believers walk around the temple three times, and then, standing at its porch and hearing the good news of the Resurrection of the Savior, they enter the open doors of the church, where from that moment the Easter service begins.

The solemn church procession began to be called a “procession of the cross” due to the fact that at the beginning of the procession there is always a clergyman who carries a large cross. At the heart of this tradition is the belief in the power of communal prayer performed during processions of the cross. Such processions look very solemn. They are led by clergy who read prayers and carry religious relics: a cross, icons and church banners depicting biblical scenes (gonfalons). And after the holy fathers come the believers.

The history of religious processions dates back to the birth of Christianity. And if initially only a religious procession was performed on Easter, then over time, after the end of the persecution of Christians, this custom became widespread and firmly entered into the rites of Orthodox services. Nowadays, almost all significant events of church life are accompanied by a solemn Orthodox procession.

Since ancient times, religious processions have been held:

in honor of church festivals;
when transferring the relics of saints, as well as other religious shrines;
during various natural disasters, epidemics and wars, when people asked God for protection and salvation from the troubles that befell them.

It is known that the church history of Rus' itself began with the procession of the cross to the Dnieper, when the people of Kiev were baptized. Orthodox Christians in Rus' often held processions not only in honor of church holidays, but also in the event of various disasters, including natural disasters. For example, they walked around fields with icons during periods of drought, as well as villages and cities during terrible epidemics.

In the chronicles there is a mention of one of the first mass religious processions, which took place in the mid-14th century, when Rus' was attacked by a pestilence, from which the inhabitants of Pskov suffered the most. Then Archbishop Vasily of Novgorod, carrying the cross and holy relics, accompanied by the clergy and townspeople, made a procession around the city. Together with the clergy, almost all the local residents who were still standing took part in the procession, from the elderly to the babies carried by their parents in their arms. All the time while the procession was going on, the priests and believers prayed, loudly calling out in hundreds of voices: “Lord have mercy!”

For a long time, only a walking procession with the participation of clergy and believers was recognized as a religious procession. However, over time, thanks to technological progress, with the blessing of the clergy, non-canonical flight or air religious processions began to take place.

During the Great Patriotic War, on December 2, 1941, a plane flew around Moscow with a miraculous copy of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God on board (according to other sources, it was the icon of the Kazan Mother of God). After this, the capital was saved from the enemy attack.

Easter procession: rules and symbolic meaning

Initially, the religious procession took place only on the day of the Holy Resurrection of Christ. From time immemorial, this procession symbolized not only the church going towards the Savior, but also the fact that before the news of the resurrection of Christ appeared, everyone was forced to wander in the dark until He showed everyone the way to the Light. Therefore, the Easter religious procession, although quite short, is arranged very solemnly, and participation in it is very important for any Christian.

The church service in honor of the Resurrection of Christ begins exactly at 00.00 hours on the night from Holy Saturday to Easter Sunday. Shortly before midnight, a solemn Easter procession takes place in all churches.

Despite the late hour, the procession passes under the incessant ringing of bells. The clergy and worshipers walk around the temple three times, each time stopping in front of its main entrance. The first two times the church doors are closed to the parishioners. The moment when people stand in the darkness of the night in front of the locked temple doors has great symbolic meaning. The church reminds us of how Christ’s contemporaries, before his resurrection, also stood in the darkness in front of the closed entrance to the cave where the Savior rested, as if in front of the closed gates of heaven.

Around midnight, when the religious procession again, for the third time, glorifying the Holy Trinity and the risen Son of God, approaches the doors of the church, they solemnly swing open, revealing light to all those praying in the darkness of the night. Thus, the church seems to open the heavenly gates of paradise for people and show the way to them. After which the entire procession enters the temple, which symbolizes the path of the myrrh-bearing women who entered Jerusalem in order to tell the apostles the good news of the Resurrection of Christ. The myrrh-bearing women, who did not know about the Resurrection of Christ, came to his tomb on the third day in order to rub the Savior’s body with precious oils. And only when they came to the entrance to the cave where, as they thought, Jesus Christ rested, the women learned about the miracle that had happened, after which they headed to Jerusalem to tell everyone about the resurrection of the Son of God.

The fact that the doors of the temple open to believers only for the third time has a deep theological meaning. Jesus Christ rose on the third day, so the Easter procession must go around the temple three times.

Easter 2018, Easter procession, when it happens, what you need to know about the night Easter service

Easter, the main holiday of the Russian Orthodox Church, falls on April 8 in 2018. Traditionally, Easter services are held at night and include the EASTER CROSS PROCESS.

The procession of the cross on Easter begins at night, at 24 o'clock, in remembrance of the fact that the holy myrrh-bearing women walked to the tomb of the Savior "still existing in darkness", that is, when it was dark.

The people gather in the temple in advance, since before this the midnight office is served, which begins on Saturday evening, at approximately 23:00. Believers prepare candles and lamps - closed candlesticks, so that the wind outside does not extinguish the flames of the candles.

By the time the Midnight Office ends, worshipers line up right in the church to carry banners and icons. A carrying lantern with a candle stands in front. Behind him is a parishioner or clergyman carrying a cross. Behind them, on both sides, stand parishioners of the temple with banners with the faces of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary, but there are even more of them. Most often, banner bearers are strong men, since carrying banners, especially if they are large, is not an easy task.

Behind the banner bearers stands a parishioner with a festive icon of the Resurrection of Christ, then parishioners with other icons are arranged in two columns, often carried by women and teenagers. This entire group lines up in the temple, facing the exit, even before the end of the midnight office.

Procession of the Cross for Easter 2018, when it begins, features

And so everyone got ready, for a moment there was complete silence in the temple. When the time approaches, clergy and singers join those standing, and the procession begins to move. The priest comes with a triple candlestick on which there are Easter candles, often in three colors - yellow, red and green. The altar servers carry a large candle and the Gospel, the deacon performs censing. Parishioners hold lit candles in their hands, often red. When the procession leaves the temple, its doors are closed.

After exiting, the procession begins to walk around the temple from left to right. At this time the Blagovest is heard - the bell ringer strikes one bell. All those walking quietly sing along with the singers: “Thy Resurrection, O Christ the Savior, the Angels sing in heaven, and grant us on earth to glorify You with a pure heart.”

The religious procession goes around the temple, and if it is a monastery or temple complex, then the procession takes place in the largest circle, uniting the buildings into one. Approaching the doors of the temple, from which everyone had previously left, the priest censes the censer crosswise and exclaims: Glory to the Holy and Consubstantial and Life-Giving and Indivisible Trinity... In response, “Amen” is heard and the Easter Troparion is sung for the first time. At this time, the bells begin their festive ringing. Then, with the singing of Easter stichera, the people enter the temple and the service begins.

Procession of the Cross for Easter 2018, when it begins, features

Easter religious processions with the reading of the Gospel and sprinkling of those praying on Bright Week are performed daily, after the liturgy. Before the Ascension, religious processions take place once a week - after the Sunday morning service.

At the beginning of July, the largest Orthodox religious procession began not only for Ukraine, but for the entire Russian Orthodox Church. All-Ukrainian religious procession, which will take place in the dioceses of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. In the east of the country it began from the Holy Dormition Svyatogorsk Lavra. In the west - from the Holy Dormition Pochaev Lavra - it will begin on July 9. On July 27, on the eve of the celebration of the day of the Baptism of Kievan Rus and the memory of the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, these religious processions will meet in Kiev on Vladimirskaya Hill and together will go to the Holy Dormition Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.

The purpose of the All-Ukrainian Cross Procession, held with the blessing of Metropolitan Onufry of Kyiv and all Ukraine, is a prayer for peace, for unity and mutual understanding in Ukraine: the procession is designed to unite Orthodox Christians in all regions.

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Ten results of the All-Ukrainian Religious Procession 2016- Vyacheslav Pikhovshek

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A procession of the cross is an Orthodox rite carried out in the form of a reverent procession of believers with icons, crosses, banners and other Christian shrines, organized with the purpose of glorifying God, asking Him for mercy and gracious support.

"Procession to Flora and Laurus." Artist Alexander Makovsky. 1921

The religious procession can be carried out either along a closed route, for example, around a field, village, city, temple, or along a special one, where the starting and final destinations are different.

The religious procession is deeply symbolic.

The solemn ringing of the bell expresses the triumph of the Cross of Christ, majestically worn, surrounded by a host of faithful who follow him like warriors following their sign. The religious procession is led by saints, whose icons are carried in front. Processions of the cross consecrate all the elements of nature (earth, air, water, fire).

This comes from icons, incense, overshadowing the altar cross in all directions, sprinkling with water, burning candles...

The practice of performing religious processions has ancient origins. Processions of the cross arose in the 4th century in Byzantium. Saint John Chrysostom organized night processions through the streets of Constantinople against the Arians. For this purpose, silver crosses were made on poles, which were solemnly carried around the city along with the holy icons. People walked with lit candles.

Later, in the fight against the heresy of Nestorius, special religious processions were organized by St. Cyril of Alexandria, seeing the emperor’s hesitation. Later, in Constantinople, to get rid of mass diseases, the Life-Giving Tree of the Honest Cross was taken out of the churches and carried along the streets of the city.

The immediate reason for organizing propitiatory processions could be emergency circumstances, for example, natural disasters (earthquakes, floods, droughts, crop failures), epidemics, or the threat of enemy seizure of territory. Such processions were accompanied by general prayers containing requests to God to protect the land and the inhabitants living on it from harm. In the event of a city siege, the route could run along the city walls or along the walls.

One of the most ancient, Old Testament prototypes of the Processions of the Cross is the seven-day circumambulation of the walls of Jericho by the people of Israel (Josh. 6:1-4), the solemn transfer of the Ark of the Covenant from the house of Abeddar to the city of David (2 Sam. 6:12).

An integral sign of any religious procession are banners. During the journey of the children of Israel to the Promised Land, all 12 tribes made their journey following their signs, or banners, and every banner was carried in front of the tabernacle, and all their tribes followed it. Just as in Israel every tribe had its own banners, so in our church every church parish has its own banners. Just as all the tribes of Israel traveled following their banners, so with us every parish during the procession follows their banners.

Instead of the trumpet sounding of that time, we now have a church gospel, which makes all the air around and all the people sanctified, and all the demonic power is driven away.

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Religious processions in Russia

We offer you a little information about some famous religious processions in the diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. In reality, of course, there are more of them; religious processions are held annually in almost every diocese.

The St. George's Procession to the places of military glory and heroic defense of Leningrad takes place in St. Petersburg every year. The tradition began in 2005, the year of the 60th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War. War veterans, representatives of search teams, the youth organization "Vityazi", scouts, cadets of military universities, and parishioners of St. Petersburg churches gather at the battlefields and burial sites to remember the fallen defenders of Leningrad.

Organizer: Archpriest Vyacheslav Kharinov, rector of the St. Petersburg Church of the Icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” on Shpalernaya.

Route: From Nevsky Piglet (St. Petersburg) through Sinyavinsky Heights to the Assumption Church in the village of Lezier-Sologubovka, next to which is the Peace Park.

One of the largest annual religious processions in Russia. Passes with the revered Velikoretsk miraculous icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. The religious procession has been known since the beginning of the 15th century. Initially it was performed along the Vyatka and Velikaya rivers on boats and rafts on the first Sunday after the feast of the transfer of the holy relics of St. Nicholas to Bar-grad (May 22). Since 1668, with the blessing of Bishop Alexander of Vyatka, a new date for the celebration was established - June 24/6. Later, in 1778, a new route was developed - an overland route, which is still in use today. During the 5-day journey, pilgrims cover 150 km.

Organizer: Vyatka diocese.

Route: Starts on June 3 from the St. Seraphim Cathedral in Kirov, passes through the village of Makarie, the villages of Bobino, Zagarye, Monastyrskoye, Gorokhovo. The final destination is the village of Velikoretskoye, where prayer services are held in churches and on the banks of the Velikaya River.

The pilgrims return back through the village of Medyany and the village of Murygino and arrive in Kirov on June 8.

The procession takes place in memory of the murdered royal family every July. Participants in the procession walk from the Church on the Blood to the Monastery of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers on Ganina Yama. They follow the roads along which the bodies of the murdered Romanovs were transported in 1918. In 2015, the procession attracted about 60 thousand pilgrims.

Organizer: Ekaterinburg diocese.

Route: Church on the Blood - center of Yekaterinburg - VIZ - Tagansky Row - Sorting - Shuvakish village - Monastery of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers on Ganina Yama.

The religious procession takes place with the “Kaluga” Icon of the Mother of God, as part of the celebration of the anniversary of the repose of Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir and the day of remembrance of Blessed Lawrence.

Organizer: Kaluga Missionary Department of the Kaluga Diocese.

Route: From the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Kaluga through more than 30 settlements of the Kaluga, Kozelsk, and Pesochensk dioceses with a return to Kaluga

Procession with the Tabyn Icon of the Mother of God

In Bashkiria, since 1992, the Bashkortostan Metropolis has been hosting the annual Tabyn religious procession - a procession with the Tabyn Icon of the Mother of God.

Organizer: Ufa and Salavat diocese

Route: passes through the regions of the Salavat and Ufa dioceses of the Bashkortostan Metropolis to the place of the apparition on the river. Usolke near the salty springs village. The resort of Gafuriy district, where a miraculous image was found more than 450 years ago.

Dates and duration: Several religious processions can begin from different settlements on different days, while the end of the processions, merging into one procession, is timed to coincide with the ninth Friday of Easter - the day of celebration of the Tabyn Icon of the Mother of God.

The Trinity Cross passes around Ufa: pilgrims walk more than 120 km and pray for the health and salvation of all residents of the city of Ufa.

Organizer: Ufa Diocese

Route: Starts from St. Sergius Cathedral in Ufa and runs along the outskirts of Ufa.

Dates and duration: begins annually on the day of the Holy Trinity and lasts 5 days.

The Kursk Icon of the Sign of the Mother of God is one of the oldest icons of the Russian Church, found in the 13th century, during the Tatar invasion. On the days of the movement, the icon is transferred from Kursk to the Korennaya Hermitage and back in a solemn religious procession, which stretches the entire way from the Znamensky Monastery in Kursk to the Korennaya Hermitage - 27 versts.

Organizer: Kursk diocese.

Route: Znamensky Monastery - Kursk Root Nativity-Virgin Hermitage.

Dates and duration: 9th Friday of Easter every year.

Procession with the icon of the Mother of God "Deliverer from Troubles" in Tashlu

The religious procession with the Tashlin Icon of the Mother of God, organized by the Cossacks of the Krasnoglinskaya village of the Samara District Cossack Society, began in 2014 and passed through the territory of the Samara, Nizhny Novgorod, Penza and Ulyanovsk regions.

The Tashlin Icon of the Mother of God “Deliverer from Troubles” - a miraculous icon revered in the Volga region, the main shrine of the Samara diocese - was found on October 21, 1917 near the village of Tashla, Samara province.

Organizer: Samara diocese.

Route: Samara - Tashla village, about 71 km.

Dates and duration: beginning on the first day of Peter's Lent, duration 3 days.

Procession of the Cross in memory of all new martyrs and confessors of Russia

The religious procession has been held annually since 2000. It is dedicated to the memory of all the new martyrs and confessors of Russia, including the martyrs of Vavilov Dol: the inhabitants of a cave monastery killed during the years of Soviet power, which was once located in a picturesque forest area of the Volga region.

The total length of the religious procession is 500 kilometers.

Organizer: Saratov diocese.

Route: Saratov - Vavilov Dol

The Volga Cross Procession began its history in 1999. Then, on the eve of the 2000th anniversary of the Nativity of Christ, with the blessing of Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus', on June 20, a religious procession began from the source of the Volga along the waters of three great Slavic rivers: the Volga, the Dnieper, and the Western Dvina. In 2000, the pre-revolutionary tradition of consecrating the source of the Volga River and the beginning of the Volga religious procession were combined into one holiday from that time on. In 2016, the XVIII Volga religious procession will take place as part of the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the presence of Russian monasticism on Holy Mount Athos.

Every year in July, a procession of the cross takes place from the Boris and Gleb Monastery to the spring of St. Irinarch. It is dedicated to the revered saint of the monastery - St. Irinarch the Recluse and symbolically connects the village of Kondakovo - his homeland and the Boris and Gleb Monastery - the place of his stay and resting place. The religious procession has traditionally been held for over 300 years. It was not carried out during the years of Soviet power.

Resumed along the old route in 1997. The procession ends on Sunday. Length: no more than 60-65 km. Participants: over 2000.

Organizer: Yaroslavl and Rostov diocese.

Route: Borisoglebsky Monastery – Trinity-on-bor – Selishche – Shipino – Kishkino – Komarovo – Pavlovo – Ilinskoye – Red October – Yazykovo – Aleshkino – Kuchery – Ivanovskoye – Titovo – Zvyagino – Emelyaninovo – Georgievskoye – Nikulskoye – Gorki – Zubarevo – Davydovo – Novoselka – Kondakovo – well of St. Irinarch

Dates and duration: Held annually on the 3rd - 4th week of July. The dates are approved by Bishop Kirill of Yaroslavl and Rostov approximately a month before it begins.

The Easter service is one of the most important events for Orthodox Christians. Churches host important services for believers. Lent ends immediately after the Divine Liturgy and Communion are completed. The main event of the year for Orthodox Christians begins a few hours before midnight, and the service ends at 4 am.

The service on the Resurrection of Christ begins with the Procession at midnight. At this time, everyone can come to the temple. Those who want to get inside and stay in the church for the entire service come early. Others can watch the process from the street or watch a live broadcast on TV.

How is the Easter procession performed?

In 2019, on April 28, all Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter. The service in churches will begin on April 27, Holy Saturday, some time before midnight. The solemn service begins with the lighting of candles by the clergy. The people who came to the temple at this time do the same. Singing begins in the altar, which is picked up by the Easter peal.

After this, the long-awaited Easter procession begins, which takes place according to the following rules:
You need to go around the temple three times, and each time you need to stop near the closed doors. This tradition symbolizes the entrance to the cave with the Tomb of Christ.
The temple opens after the marchers complete the third circle and “Christ is Risen” is pronounced.
Everyone returns inside and the service continues.

This procession must take place in every Orthodox church. The religious procession allows you to feel the spirit of the holiday. This important event for believers is always very spectacular.

How to behave in church on Easter

Anyone can take part in the Easter service.

Important! Only baptized people can receive communion.

As a sign of respect for the holiday, believers should follow a number of simple rules.

I went to the main city event of last week - the religious procession in honor of the transfer of the holy relics of Alexander Nevsky. Besides me, there were another 99 thousand 999 people there (as the organizers calculated), including the governor, metropolitan, officials, state employees, deputy Milonov and actor Migitsko. To participate in the religious procession, I was given a prop - an empty stick.

How did I get the stick?

Columns of participants in the religious procession are formed on the streets adjacent to Nevsky. The most numerous convoys gather on Kazanskaya - regional columns. There are so many people that you can barely walk down the street. But there are no random people here: those arriving in an organized manner occupy the designated places and receive props - Orthodox flags, icons, paper images. Standing shoulder to shoulder are ladies in heels, ladies in sneakers and headscarves, men in suits and ties, men in robes and yellow clerical robes. Everyone lined up in areas and are waiting for the turn to begin.

-What are you wearing? - I ask the man in yellow, representing the Epiphany Church on Gutuevsky Island.

“I don’t know, I just put it on,” he says, embarrassed.

- This is a surplice. Button up the button! – a colleague from the temple who was running past came to the rescue.

In the column of the Central District, they change clothes right on the street: church vestments are taken out of a large checkered bag, the priests take apart and put on kamilavkas. The Kronstadt district is rehearsing songs with which it will go to the religious procession: “Rejoice to the Mother of God, Virgin,” “Save, Lord,” and others. The priest distributes leaflets with texts.

They brought more sticks than signs. Carry it as is. Then you will return the stick to the Pushkin district

- Why did you come here? - I directly ask the lady in heels and with an expensive bag, standing under the sign “Kirov District”.

“We are all here at the call of our souls.” And they let us go from work! – she snapped ungraciously.

“We are a kindergarten in the Kirov district,” said the other two. – We also follow the call of our hearts, but at work we will be counted as a working day.

- And I’m still at work. “I am deputy Oleg Ivanov,” said a man from the Vyborg district. – And over there is the head of the district – Valery Nikolaevich Garnets, next to him is his deputy, and there is the school director. We're all here! Everyone is in a great mood! This event unites, unites,” the deputy explained why he came.

The Pushkin district was the best prepared for the religious procession. The entire column was armed with poles with portraits of the royal family. It turned out to be a whole forest of portraits. Why are they?

“Because we are from Tsarskoye Selo,” explained a parishioner of the Panteleimon Church. He gave me a pole too, but without a portrait.

- But there’s nothing there! – I was surprised.

– Just imagine what it is! They brought more sticks than signs. Carry it as is. “Then you will return the stick to the Pushkin district,” the parishioner ordered.

I took the stick.

Then all the columns began to move - the religious procession began. For some time I walked among the royal portraits with an empty stick over my head. There were other people nearby with empty sticks.

Nevsky Prospekt was closed to traffic the day before. But on the streets adjacent to Nevsky, there were columns of stubborn motorists. There were people standing and sitting at the stops, waiting for trolleybuses and buses. They weren’t outraged, but they didn’t join either.

The procession was very strictly guarded. At the intersections, the streets were blocked by heavy cleaning equipment, along the entire Nevsky - every 10-15 meters - there were police officers, volunteer guards, vigilantes, and in some places - metal fences. To prevent strangers from entering the passage, the guards (where there were no fences) held hands - it turned out to be a human chain. A platoon of riot police walked in front of the religious procession.

How they didn’t let me out of the prayer service

The religious procession was led by Metropolitan Barsanuphius, speaker Vyacheslav Makarov, former vice-governor, now State Duma deputy Igor Divinsky, current vice-governor Igor Albin and other officials and priests.

The splendor was disrupted only once: Orthodox activists quarreled with the police. Believers carried banners with the slogans: “Matilda is a slap in the face of the Russian people” and “The honor of the state is the honor of the people.” Law enforcement officers demanded that the slogans be removed, but the crusaders refused.

- Employees, help! - shouted the police lieutenant colonel, whom the Orthodox tried to push away from the slogans.

- Anathema on you! - the believers carrying banners cursed.

The other participants in the procession looked at the brawl with curiosity, but were absolutely silent.

In the end, the police won, the banners were confiscated, but no one was detained.

In an hour we walked from the Kazan Cathedral to Alexander Nevsky Square. There were a lot of people standing here. I wanted to leave, but they didn’t let me out. The policeman did not allow me to leave the fence and blocked my way. We had such a simple dialogue.

- May go out?

- It is forbidden!

- And to the toilet?

- I've told! Go forward. You’ll let one person out, and then you’ll all break away,” the policeman did not back down.

Some lady came to my aid and began asking the policeman whether he believed in God and why he wasn’t happy when there was such a national holiday here. The policeman replied that he was protecting us believers on his day off, and there was nothing to be happy about.

The believers listened to Makarov attentively. Some thought that it was Metropolitan Barsanuphius speaking and were baptized.

And then we all listened to the festive prayer service. We delved into the words of Governor Poltavchenko and Speaker Makarov. The speaker's speech turned out to be the highlight of the event. It has already been taken away for quotes by the media, but in its entirety it makes a very strong impression.

– Russia’s great destiny is to solve problems that no other country in the world can solve! Russia is a world power, God’s last hope on planet Earth! That is why the Lord invisibly protects Russia from its enemies, protects its small world for a saving outcome, in order to preserve Russia in its heavenly and earthly dimensions! I am Russian, I am baptized... I pray for the Russian Tsar and God. It was the authority of the tsar, the strength of the tsar and the strength of the state that allowed our great power - Russia - to be invincible! St. Petersburg is the city of St. Apostle Peter. A city that we must leave to our descendants as a great Orthodox city on planet Earth. The Lord God and the Orthodox faith are with us! - said the speaker.

The believers listened to Makarov attentively. But from the back rows it was unclear who was speaking. Some thought that it was Metropolitan Barsanuphius speaking and were baptized by the speaker.

Crusade Skirmisher

The religious procession in honor of the transfer of the relics of Alexander Nevsky took place in St. Petersburg for the fifth time. About 1.5 million rubles were spent from the city budget on organizing the celebrations. This is 400 thousand more than last year, and 800 thousand more than in 2015.

Religious processions have recently become very popular in Russia. New forms appeared - voyages of the cross and flights of the cross. Thus, on the Ob River, the Altai Cossacks spent a two-week voyage of the cross on the ship “Ataman Ermak” with the icon of the Iveron Mother of God with the relics of the apostles. In Rostov, Metropolitan Mercury and local officials held an aerial religious procession by helicopter. With the icon of the Don Mother of God, they flew around the city and prayed for the well-being of Rostov and Russia. In Taganrog, the flying of the cross was improved. The priests of the local diocese poured eight tons of holy water into the tanks of the Be-200 amphibious aircraft and sprinkled the city and surrounding area from a height of 200 meters.

There are also religious processions on bicycles, motorcycles, buses and catamarans. St. Petersburg demonstrates new approaches to crusade to other regions. This summer the first automobile religious procession took place along the route St. Petersburg - Kronstadt. Dozens of cars took part. For those who do not have their own car, 5 buses have been prepared. This format of the religious procession, according to the organizers, corresponds to the spirit of the times. “It does not contradict the Orthodox tradition,” says the official crusading website krestkhody.rf.

The voyage of the cross on a catamaran with a list of the “Inexhaustible Chalice” icon came from St. Petersburg to Kerch last week. The event was held by the public organization “Orthodox St. Petersburg”.

The St. Petersburg diocese believes that crucifixion needs to be further developed. Representatives of the diocese appealed to the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation with a proposal to support the idea of holding religious processions throughout the country on National Unity Day. To begin with, Russia needs at least one all-Russian religious procession, otherwise everyone goes separately and at different times. And a single religious procession will contribute to the consolidation and mobilization of society.

In 2017, St. Petersburg will become the absolute leader among Russian regions in the number of large religious processions. According to the portal krestnyekhody.rf, 9 religious processions took place (and will still take place) in St. Petersburg this year. The Vyatka Metropolis is in second place among Russian regions (5 religious processions). The Moscow diocese lags behind - only 4 religious processions.

Elena ROTKEVICH

What can you get for a photo with the hashtag #Walk1209

The St. Petersburg diocese encouraged participation in the procession with the help of an online competition. The competition accepted photographs (family or selfies) taken during the religious procession and published on social networks. A prerequisite is the presence of the hashtag #KrestnyKrestnyy1209.

The winners will be announced on September 25th. Those who take first place will receive, according to the official press release, a large pectoral “Sea” cross from an Orthodox jewelry company. For second place they will receive an encyclopedia album. For the third - also an album. All winners will also be presented with “an icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, consecrated on his relics, which first arrived in Russia from the city of Bari.”

As Gorod 812 was told in the jewelry company’s company store, on August 4, items consecrated on the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker were delivered to the store. The number of consecrated items is limited. The icons of St. Nicholas are still on sale (10 pieces), costing 650 rubles each.

Where did the relics of Alexander Nevsky come from?

Alexander Nevsky died in 1263 and was buried in Vladimir in the Monastery of the Nativity of the Virgin. According to the chronicles, in 1380 his remains were taken out of the coffin and they saw that they had not decayed. This was considered a miracle and the remains were placed “in a coffin (coffin) on top of the ground.”

In 1491, there was a severe fire, after which, according to some sources, the remains were burned, but according to others, they were miraculously preserved.

Alexander Nevsky was canonized in 1547.

In 1723, Peter the Great decided to transport the relics of Alexander Nevsky to St. Petersburg. But on the way they were again overtaken by a fire, probably after which they put a “stuffed figure” - a doll made of cotton wool with a wax head - into the shrine.

In this form, in 1724 the reliquary was transported to St. Petersburg and on September 12 it was installed in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra (then it was the Holy Trinity Monastery). Since then, Alexander Nevsky has been considered the defender of the city in heaven.

In 1917, priests secretly examined the relics. What they found there was reported at the press center of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

“Under the lid of the reliquary they discovered an open cypress coffin with a wax head and a “stuffed” prince made of cotton wool sewn into silk bags. It contained genuine relics - part of a skull, bones of arms and legs and two ribs. On the paper, lying in a bag with small bones, it was indicated that the relics were collected “after the church burning,” says the press center website.

According to the same source, the priests placed only “genuine relics” in the shrine and threw away the rest.

In 1922, during the anti-religious campaign, the shrine containing the relics of Alexander Nevsky was publicly opened by the Bolsheviks. The found remains were transferred to the Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism. There they were kept until 1989, then they were returned to the Lavra.