| Metropolitan Hilarion celebrates Divine Liturgy at Vatopedi Monastery Natalya Mihailova 17 February 2014 On 14 th February 2014, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, and his suite currently on a pilgrimage to the Holy Mount Athos, arrived at the Vatopedi Monastery. They venerated the Cincture of the Theotokos, the miraculous icons of the Heavenly Queen called ‘Comfort and Consolation’ and ‘The Queen of All,’ and the precious heads of Ss Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom. Archimandrite Ephraim, hegumen of the monastery, informed the guests of the last developments in the monastic life and paid special attention to changes for the better in the life of the Russian Orthodox Church as the number of its dioceses has increased. Also discussed was the situation of Christians in Syria. After the talk Metropolitan Hilarion and his suite proceeded to the Annunciation Cathedral where the All-Night Vigil was celebrated. On February 15, the feast of the Meeting of the Lord, Metropolitan Hilarion, Metropolitan Hierotheos of Zichna and Nevrokopi (Orthodox Church of Greece), archimandrite Ephraim and the ordained brethren celebrated the Divine Liturgy, after which a repast with the Office of Panagia was conducted in accordance with the monastery’s Ordo. During the meal Metropolitan Hilarion addressed the brethren with greetings and exhortations, urging them to beseech the Lord ‘to grant us strength to be the true monks and go along the path on which He has put us towards the heavenly Kingdom.’ That same day, the DECR chairman and Mr. Vladimir Yakunin, president of the Russian Railway Company and chairman of the Board of Trustees of the St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation took part in the ceremony of awarding archimandrite Ephraim. He was honoured with the “Faith and Faithfulness’ prize of the Foundations. Metropolitan Hilarion congratulated archimandrite Ephraim and told him and the brethren about the Foundation’s activities, among which he underscored the bringing of the Cincture of the Theotokos to Russia and its historical importance to the Russian Orthodox Church. |
| The Holy Dormition Pskov-Caves Monastery/Православие.Ru The Holy Dormition Pskov-Caves Monastery On the Sunday of the Synaxis of all the Saints of the Pskov-Caves Monastery Today, the fourth Sunday after Pentecost, we celebrate the memory of all the saints of the Pskov-Caves Monastery in Pechory, Pskov Province, Russia. This monastery became especially important to the Russian Orthodox people during Communist times, because it was the only men's monastery in Russia that was never closed by the atheist regime, becoming an oasis of Orthodox life in a socialist desert. The Holy Dormition Pskovo-Pechersky (Pskov-Caves) monastery is located on the historically Russian land, 50 kilometers to the west of the city of Pskov, near the very border of Estonia and 340 kilometers from St. Petersburg. The date of the monastery's foundation is considered to be August, 15/28,1473. It was on that day that the monastery's founder, St. Jonah (Shesnik) consecrated the church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God—a church which was built into the hillside. But the monastic life had actually begun there much earlier, when a few hermits, seeking solitude, came to live in the caves. The holy relics of one of them, St. Mark the desert-dweller, still rest in the caves and many people come to venerate them. The monastery's chronicle relates that " the Most Pure Virgin herself chose this site in the valley of the Kamenets spring, blessed it, exalted it through her chosen people and has been protecting it ever since. Five centuries have passed, and the monastery has seen both glory and tragedy, but never have the holy lampadas gone out, nor prayer ceased in this blessed place. The monastery gradually grew in size and reputation. The 16th century was the time of its flourishing, when under Abbot Cornelius the Annunciation and St. Nicholas Churches were erected as well as the stone belfry and the monastery was fortified around by a stone wall with bastions, and the brethren numbered up to 200. Abbot Cornelius collected a rich library, established chronicling and founded an icon-painting workshop. The monastery became an important missionary center and stronghold of Orthodoxy on the western border of Russia. Tradition has it that, slandered by envious people, Abbot Cornelius was beheaded by Tsar Ivan the Terrible on the 20th of February, 1570 and now numbers among the hosts of holy martyrs. |
| Archeologists find parts of destroyed monasteries in Moscow Kremlin Source: Interfax-religion Natalya Mihailova 10 May 2016 Moscow, May 10, Interfax - Archeologists who are doing excavation work on the site of the demolished 14th unit of the Moscow Kremlin have found parts of destroyed Chudov and Voznesensky Monasteries. “The dismantling of the 14th unit provided a unique and unexpected perspective for the archeological research of the eastern part of the Kremlin Hill, where the Chudov and Voznesensky Monasteries and the Small Nikolayevsky Palace, which were destroyed in 1929, were located,” the presidential property department told Interfax. The archeologists managed to find the Yekaterinskaya Church of the Voznesensky Monastery (1817), the monastery canteen joined to the Annunciation Church and the Alexeyevskaya Church of the Chudov Monastery (late 17th century). The archeological studies are being done by the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which began working in November 2015. The territory vacated by the removal of the 14th unit was landscaped on the basis of the historical construction of the Chudov and Voznesensky Monasteries found by the archeologists. The proposal to remove this administrative building was made by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The unit was built in 1932-1934 on the sites of the Chudov and Voznesensky Monasteries and the Small Nikolayevsky Palace, which were destroyed in 1929-1930. It was among the buildings that formed the Ivanovskaya Square. The demolition of the 14th unit of the Kremlin, which was located between the Spasskiye Gates and the Senate Palace, began in November 2015. Tweet Donate Share Code for blog Archeologists find parts of destroyed monasteries in Moscow Kremlin Natalya Mihailova " The dismantling of the 14th unit provided a unique and unexpected perspective for the archeological research of the eastern part of the Kremlin Hill, where the Chudov and Voznesensky Monasteries and the Small Nikolayevsky Palace, which were destroyed in 1929, were located, " the ... |
| Church Comes Under Bombardment in the Diocese of Horlivka and Sloviansk Source: Pravmir.ru Natalya Mihailova 25 November 2014 November 22, 2014. The city of Debaltseve came under bombardment once again at 22:30-23:00 on November 21. Two missiles, launched by the “Hail” volley fire system, hit the premises of the St. Alexander Nevsky Church. At that time there were no people near the church. The press office of the Diocese of Horlivka and Sloviansk has reported that the church was partly damaged – the dome was harmed and windows were broken. Windows and doors were smashed in the chapel situated on the premises of the church. According to Archpriest Bogdan Ilchuk, Rural Dean of the Debaltseve district, there are victims among civilians following the bombardment. The number of the deceased is yet unknown. The St. Alexander Nevsky Church was constructed at the place of a church, destructed during the Soviet period, in Debaltseve. It was consecrated in 2001. The standard cross-domed church was built to the design of the old-Russian architecture. Moscow experts created the carved iconostasis for the church. The icons were painted in the Ruyblev style. Archpriest Miron Kvasnikevich, Rector of the church, helped in the painting of the church. Various churches have been damaged during the armed opposition in Donbass. Two parishes of the Horlivka Diocese in honor of the Annunciation of the Holy Theotokos in Horlivka and St. John of Kronstadt in Kirovo have been deprived of their churches. A missile hit the church in Kirovo during a divine service. Consequently, three parishioners died. A missile fragment killed a watchman of the Resurrection Church in Sloviansk. Tweet Donate Share Code for blog Church Comes Under Bombardment in the Diocese of Horlivka and Sloviansk Natalya Mihailova The press office of the Diocese of Horlivka and Sloviansk has reported that the church was partly damaged – the dome was harmed and windows were broken. Windows and doors were smashed in the chapel situated on the premises of the church. According to Archpriest Bogdan Ilchuk, Rural Dean of the ... |
| Mayor of Barcelona promises to help in building Orthodox church there Source: Interfax-Religion Natalya Mihailova 03 July 2014 Moscow, July 2, Interfax - The Russian Consulate and the Annunciation community of the Corsun Diocese asked Barcelona mayor Xavier Trias to allot a piece of land for building a church. Barcelona mayor Xavier Trias “Head of the municipality promised to help in the question and suggested to locate a new church in one of the two young and developing districts of the city,” the Communication Service of the Synodal Department for External Church Relations reports on its website on Wednesday. This question was also discussed at a meeting in the Annunciation Church held by Trias, Russian General Consul in Barcelona Yury Klimenko and church rector Hegumen Seraphim (Pavlov). The Annunciation church complex is used not only for celebrating divine services, there are also lessons of the Sunday school, lessons of the Catalan language, a library and canteen. The church iconostasis has an icon of St. Eulalia – holy protector of Barcelona. Tweet Donate Share Code for blog Mayor of Barcelona promises to help in building Orthodox church there Natalya Mihailova " Head of the municipality promised to help in the question and suggested to locate a new church in one of the two young and developing districts of the city, " the Communication Service of the Synodal Department for External Church Relations reports on its website on Wednesday. This ... Since you are here… …we do have a small request. More and more people visit Orthodoxy and the World website. However, resources for editorial are scarce. In comparison to some mass media, we do not make paid subscription. It is our deepest belief that preaching Christ for money is wrong. Having said that, Pravmir provides daily articles from an autonomous news service, weekly wall newspaper for churches, lectorium, photos, videos, hosting and servers. Editors and translators work together towards one goal: to make our four websites possible - Pravmir.ru, Neinvalid.ru, Matrony.ru and Pravmir.com. Therefore our request for help is understandable. |
| The Enthronement of Bishop Irénée at the Ottawa Cathedral Source: OCA Natalya Mihailova 29 November 2014 The Enthronement of His Grace, Bishop Irénée as Bishop of Ottawa and the Orthodox Church in America’s Archdiocese of Canada will be celebrated at Annunciation/Saint Nicholas Cathedral here on Saturday, November 29, 2014. His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon, will preside at the Divine Liturgy and the Rite of Enthronement, during he will present the archpastoral staff to Bishop Irénée. A celebratory banquet will follow at the cathedral. Bishop Irénée, who had been serving as Administrator of the Archdiocese of Canada, was elected by the Holy Synod of Bishops on October 21, 2014. Three weeks earlier, he had been nominated by delegates to the Extraordinary Archdiocesan Assembly held in Gatineau, QC. Born in Montréal, Quebec on December 25, 1948, Bishop Irénée received a BA in Slavic Studies from the University of Ottawa in 1971, after which he began studies at Holy Trinity Seminary, Jordanville, NY. He was accepted as a novice at Holy Trinity Monastery and placed under the spiritual guidance of Archimandrite Kiprian. In 1974, he was tonsured a Rassophore monk. The following year, he was tonsured a Stavrophore monk with the name Irénée, in honor of the sainted hieromartyr of Lyons. In 1978, he was blessed to serve in France. In May of the same year, he was ordained to the diaconate in Brussels, Belgium, and in August to the priesthood in Geneva, Switzerland. He continued to serve in France until 1982, at which time he returned to Canada to serve Montréal’s French mission. He and the mission’s faithful were received into the OCA in 1986. In 1992, Hieromonk Irénée was elevated to the dignity of Igumen by His Grace, Bishop Seraphim of Ottawa, to care for the French language monastics in Québec. He also served as a supply priest to the parishes in Montréal, Ottawa, Toronto and Québec City. In April 2009, the Holy Synod of the OCA elevated Igumen Irénée to the dignity of Archimandrite and elected him as an Auxiliary Bishop in the Archdiocese of Canada with the title of Bishop of Québec City. In October 2009, ten bishops participated in his consecration to the episcopacy at Ottawa’s Annunciation Cathedral. On October 1, 2010, the Holy Synod appointed Bishop Irénée as Administrator of the Archdiocese of Canada. |
| Christmas Festival of Religious Music opens in Moscow admin 10 January 2013 January 10, 2013 On 9 January 2013, the Third Christmas Festival of Religious Music opened at the Moscow International House of Music with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. Conductor Vladimir Spivakov, president of the Moscow International House of Music, a member of the Patriarchal Council for Culture, and Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, act as artistic directors of the Festival. Before the concert, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk greeted the organizers, participants and guests of this musical forum with the Feast of the Nativity of Christ. According to Metropolitan Hilarion, the Christmas Festival of Religious Music was conceived as an international forum and a cultural event in order to introduce people to the spirit of the musical culture which was formed in the Church during many centuries and was reflected in the creative work of the greatest composers. “I would like all concerts of the Festival to be united by the idea that the Lord is near, and I would like us to understand what messages composers of different epochs wanted to convey to us by their music: it was their love to God, reverence for the Lord, and their desire to convey to us this profound inner spiritual and religious feeling,” Metropolitan Hilarion said, in particular. Metropolitan Hilarion wished the Festival to be a success and wished the participants and audience to better understand the purpose this music was composed for and to realize that the Lord is with and among us. In the first part of the concert, the Moscow Synodal Choir conducted by Alexei Puzakov, an honoured artist of Russia, sang hymns by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Alexander Kastalsky, Pavel Chesnokov, archpriest Nikolai Vedernikov, and Vasily Zinoviev. In the second part of the concert, the Moscow Synodal Choir, the Sveshnikov State Academic Russian Choir (headed by Yevgeny Volkov), and the Svetlanov Russian State Academic Symphony Orchestra (headed by Vladimir Yurovsky) performed the “Christmas Oratorio” by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk. The “Christmas Oratorio” is based on the Gospel narration about the nativity and the first days of earthly life of Our Lord Jesus Christ. For writing the libretto, Metropolitan Hilarion used liturgical texts for the feasts of the Annunciation, Nativity of Christ and the Meeting of the Lord. |
| The Moldovan Monastery of the Great Martyr St. James the Persian In the heart of Bessarabia, 16 km far from Chiinu, opening up in the middle of a green field as an eye in the sky is the monastery of the Great Martyr St. James the Persian, a contemporary monastic foundation that desires not to bring shame to the Tradition, but to continue it creatively. Sirei village, where the monastery is located, in Streni district, is a village with old traditions that deepens the monastery's roots into the depths of time back to St. Stephen the Great, whose soldiers came from the Vrancea Mountains and the valley of the Siret River to be closer to the border that was being threatened and overrun by heathen hordes. On September 10, 1998, three monks and servants of the Church of St. Nicholas, Protosingel Porphiry, Hieromonk Theodore, and Hierodeacon Nathaniel consecrated the place for the church, and on May 24, 1999 the groundwork was laid for the church of the Great Martyr St. Jamesthe Persian, which was consecrated one year later, on October 29, 2000. Protopriest Mihail Cazacu later joined the community, having a fervor and godliness similar to that of the neptic fathers of the eastern Church, and of the great benefactors and founders of monastic centers. He consecrated the space of the large church with the dedication of the Annunciation and St. John Jacob the Hozevite on September 15, 2004. The monastery in the night of winter On March 22, 2005 construction work for the main church began, and was finished in September 2006, wholly on the expenditure of Fr. Mihail Cazacu. Sirei Monastery possesses invaluable spiritual treasures, namely important parts of relics of many saints: The Holy Apostle Zacchaeus 20 April/3 May The Holy Hierarch Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia 1/14 January The Holy Hierarch Nicholas Archbishop of Myra in Lycia 6/19 December The Holy Hierarch Ambrose of Milan 7/20 December St. Porphyrius, Archbishop of Gaza 26/11 March The Holy Hierarch Gelasius of Rimet 30 June/13 July |
| Tweet The Nine Kherkheulidze Brothers with Their Mother and Sister and Nine Thousand Martyrs of Marabda (†1625) Memory 3 (16) August The Nine Kherkheulidze Brothers with their mother and sister The Nine Kherkheulidze Brothers with their mother and sister On the Feast of the Annunciation in the year 1625, the Georgians annihilated the army of the Persian shah Abbas I in the Battle of Martqopi. The victory unified Georgia’s eastern provinces of Kartli and Kakheti. It also instilled hope in other enslaved peoples of the Transcaucasus, and rebellions began to break out everywhere. Soon the enraged Shah Abbas marched his finest and largest army toward Georgia under the leadership of Isa-Khan Qurchibash. A Georgian army of some twenty thousand men encamped near Kojori-Tabakhmela in preparation for the attack, while the enemy’s army, which numbered in excess of fifty thousand men, encamped at Marabda. According to tradition, the Georgian soldiers received Holy Communion at dawn before the battle. Bishop Domenti (Avalishvili) of Ruisi prepared to serve the Holy Gifts to the soldiers but they cried out with a single voice: “If you will join us and take up your sword and fight, then do so. We can receive Holy Communion from another!” Inspired by these words, the bishop joined in, proclaiming, “Today we will fight a battle for faith and for Christ; therefore my blood must be spilled before yours!”With his vestments as armor, the bishop blessed the soldiers and took his place in the front line. The banner of the Georgian army was entrusted to the nine Kherkheulidze brothers. The Persians panicked upon coming face-to-face with the courage and fortitude of the Georgian soldiers, but the experienced commander Isa-Khan Qurchibash would not yield in battle. Help arrived from Beglerbeg Shaybani-Khan, and with the extra forces the Persians soon gained the advantage over the Georgian army. The Georgian colonel TeimurazMukhranbatoni was fatally wounded, and rumors of his death threw the soldiers into a frenzy, since they erroneously believed that the dead man was King Teimuraz I of Kakheti, the commander of their army. Believing that their leader had fallen, the Georgian soldiers became anxious and their army was enfeebled. Before long they recognized their mistake, but it was too late—the fate of the battle had already been decided. |
| Attacks on Church Pre-Revolution Reminder – Patriarch admin 06 December 2012 Demolition of the Annunciation church in the Labor square, September 1929 (RIA Novosti) In a speech to a group of Cossack commanders, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church has warned the recent string of attacks on the church is similar to what happened before the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. “ Just like now, back then they performed a reconnaissance by engagement – to see what will be the Orthodox Christians’ reaction. They performed acts of blasphemy, humiliation and provocation ,” Patriarch Kirill told the heads of the Cossack hosts of Russia Ukraine and Belarus. The Patriarch noted that the methods of the “ enemies of the Church ” (that he again did not name) were too uniform to his taste. “I t is all the same, these accusations – in the beginning of the twentieth century, after the revolution and now “. However, he expressed hope that the people of Russia would understand the dangers that come with the attempts to resurrect the spectres of the past. “ The violations of religious rights are committed under an invented excuse of freedom of expression. We all know very well that there can be no freedom of expression if it violates the rights of ethnic groups but it is somehow possible, through the wrongly understood freedom of expression, to insult the believers, destroy their inner world and humiliate their dignity ,” the top cleric added. The Patriarch thanked the Cossacks for their vigilance for preventing many acts of blasphemy and called on them to continue their work to defend the church. This was not the first time the representatives of the church accused some mysterious unnamed forces of launching a concerted attack against Christianity in Russia. These statements became more often after the mass media started reporting of the clergy’s growing interference in public life, as well as the impious and luxury lifestyles of some of the priests. The public discussion led to the preparation of a bill that criminalized insults to believers , that is expected to be submitted for approval next year. Also the Church has officially allowed the clergy to take part in elections though their participation in political parties is still banned. |
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