All about the procession in the "royal days". Patriarch Kirill led the 100,000th religious procession to the monastery at the Ganina Pit and served a prayer service in the monastery
More than 60 thousand believers took part in procession in Yekaterinburg on the 99th anniversary of the murder of the last Russian emperor and his family. The believers went from the Temple-on-the-Blood, where a solemn liturgy took place, to Ganina Yama - there is a monastery in honor of the holy royal martyrs. This is the main event of the international festival of Orthodox culture dedicated to the tragic events of 1918.
On the streets of Yekaterinburg - a real human sea. The procession moves along the same route along which the bodies of the murdered members of the royal family were carried 99 years ago. It all started with a divine liturgy near the Church-on-the-Blood. A hundred years ago, the Ipatiev House stood here, in the basement of which in July 1918 Nicholas II was shot with his family and servants. Now believers often call this place "royal Calvary."
The temple did not accommodate everyone, and it was decided to hold the service on the square in front of it. There are eight archbishops here, representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad. Among them is an archpriest from New Zealand.
“I call on all of you to honor the memory of the holy royal martyrs, honor their deeds, always remember that the family is the beginning of everything. If we are one big church family, then this church family begins with a small church in each family,” reminded the believers Vladimir Boikov, archpriest, dean of the Russian Orthodox Church parishes abroad in New Zealand.
The streets near the temple are crowded with people. Representatives of the Romanov dynasty also pray together with the faithful.
“This is a spiritual matter, of course. You are trying to educate or prove in yourself that you can do something that you have planned: the fulfillment of some duty. Now for the last two years it has been difficult for me to walk, and I go there - I meet the procession on Ganina Yama, ”said Olga Kulikovskaya-Romanova, princess, widow of Nicholas II’s own nephew.
After the liturgy, the faithful set out on their journey. The road is difficult. Those who do not have enough strength to walk are brought up on buses, but for many it is important to walk the entire route on their own.
“This is my seventh time going this year. To honor the memory of Tsar Nicholas and his family. We go to pray every year,” believers say.
The Ganina Yama tract is the end point of a 20-kilometer religious procession. The journey takes over four hours. Believers arrive here at dawn. Today, on the site where, as historians believe, the bodies of the Romanov family were destroyed, there is a monastery complex.
Scientists are still arguing about the fate of the remains of the royal family. Here, in the Ganina Yama tract, the bodies could not be found, but fragments of nine skeletons were found nearby in the 80s of the last century, and later, in 2007, two more. The finds were sent for examination several times, and scientists each time declared that they most likely belonged to members of the royal family. In confirmation, they cited a rare genetic mutation inherent in the representatives of the Romanov dynasty, as well as matches in the samples with the descendants of the English Queen Victoria, whose granddaughter was Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. But the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as representatives of the Romanov dynasty, do not recognize the remains discovered in the 80s, believing that the bodies of the executed were completely destroyed in Ganina Yama.
The abandoned mine is still a major pilgrimage site these days. Among the believers is Natalya Poklonskaya, a member of the State Duma and former prosecutor of Crimea. For Maxim and Lydia, who specially arrived from Krasnoufimsk, today's procession is the first.
“There are some events that are subject to the influence of time. More now, less later. Recession, rise, then a crisis... The spirit of the procession always goes up. From year to year there are more people, people come more consciously,” says Evgeny Kulberg, Bishop of Sredneuralsky, vicar of the Yekaterinburg diocese.
The festival "Royal Days" is also timed to this date. Concerts, poetry evenings, meetings with historians and a bell ringing festival are planned.
The traditional Royal procession from the Church-on-the-Blood will take place in Yekaterinburg on the night of July 16-17, 2016. If you decide to participate in this many thousands of 21-kilometer prayer procession, you need to remember some important things.
1. The route of the procession is quite long - 21 km. Travel time is about five hours. Think in advance which part of the route you can overcome without harming your health. Remember that the main thing is the spiritual benefits of joint prayer, and not the number of kilometers traveled.
2. Consider what kind of comfortable shoes to wear so that your feet do not get tired. It is desirable that she had a back, be laced or with clasps.
3. Remember that the procession is not an unauthorized procession, but a type of church service, therefore, when participating in it, one must not forget about several important rules:
The royal procession begins from the Church-on-the-Blood immediately after the night service (02:30), so you should confess in advance and, having prepared, partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ during the night service (Divine Liturgy will begin at 23:30);
After that, it is necessary to wait until the clergy, accompanied by banner-bearers, led by Bishop Kirill and Bishop Vincent, begin to pray the procession;
Having missed the priests first, you can join the procession (without overtaking the procession and interfering with the prayers who are walking next to you);
If you cannot go the whole route and want to join the procession later, when it has already begun, then you should not overtake those walking or go separately. Wait for the banner bearers and clergy to pass, and then join the column;
Be attentive to those walking nearby. If you or your prayer partners feel bad, ask for help from the sisters of mercy or volunteers in white T-shirts;
The royal procession ends at the Monastery of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers at Ganina Yama. Here you will have a meal and buses that will take you to Shuvakish station, Sredneuralsk and Children's Hospital No.
9. If you did not have time to get on the first of the buses, do not worry, transport will run throughout the holiday.
4. The passage of private vehicles from the village of Shuvakish to the monastery on Ganina Yama will be blocked during the holidays. Therefore, it is better to leave your vehicles at a special parking lot in the village of Shuvakish.
5. The procession will be accompanied by 25 mobile groups of voluntary helpers of the Orthodox Service of Mercy and 15 buses. Mobile groups consist of a priest, a sister of mercy, a representative of the Holy Dormition Brotherhood, and a volunteer. During the entire procession, a representative of the group will hold a sign with the telephone number of the dispatcher (200-07-04) in his hands, to which you can call and ask any question regarding the Royal Procession, bus stops, ask for help, etc. Each group has a first aid kit (preparations for first aid), holy water, consecrated oil, a flashlight. The group constantly keeps in touch with the dispatcher, organizes assistance to the applicant and, depending on the state of his health, waits for the arrival of an ambulance or transfers the person to the bus if he cannot continue the pilgrimage on foot. 
6. Buses will stop throughout the route. Pilgrims can check with any mobile group about where the nearest bus is. Each bus will have a coordinator. Those pilgrims who want to, but cannot continue the procession on foot (women with children, the elderly, the disabled) will be able to get to the Monastery of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers by bus. Please note that buses will not be able to take on board everyone, but only those who cannot physically continue the journey on foot.
7. On the territory of the monastery on Ganina Yama, a point will be organized to assist pilgrims, and ambulances will also be on duty near the entrance to the territory of the monastery.
8. On July 16 and 17, according to the meteorological centers, rain is expected. Therefore, take care of raincoats and waterproof shoes.
On the night of July 16-17, 2018, a procession was held in the city of Yekaterinburg, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the murder of the holy Royal Family, in which parishioners and the rector of the church of St. Sergius of Radonezh in the city of Chelyabinsk, Archpriest Yaroslav Ivanov, youth movement of the Chelyabinsk diocese PMD74, counselors of the Orthodox tent camp "Naslednik".
On the sunny evening of July 16, our group advanced to the glorious city of Yekaterinburg, for the procession dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the death of the Royal Family.
The route was serious (more than 20 km) from the Temple on the Blood to Ganina Pit, but more serious than that topic - Tragic milestones in the history of our State.
On the way we stop at the village of Bulzi. The Diocesan Camp "Heir" is held there. Our ranks are replenished by counselors and older guys.
In Yekaterinburg we meet with the benevolent organizers of our trip. We walk in the procession along with the crusaders from Moscow, St. Petersburg and Tyumen. We get T-shirts with the emblem of Tsarist Russia. The "Two-Headed Eagle" Leads the Way
The procession starts at night from the place where the family was shot - former home engineer Ipatiev, and now the Temple-Monument on the Blood. The final point is Ganina Yama, where the holy remains of the martyrs were thrown into the mine. Now on this site a monastery has been erected in the name of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers.
Night time was not chosen by chance. After all, it was precisely at night that the Royal Family, under the pretext of unrest in the city, was awakened and asked to go down to the basement, where a terrible massacre took place.
The procession is preceded by the Divine Liturgy, which at midnight, on Tsarskaya Street near the Church-on-the-Blood, is served by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia in concelebration with 40 bishops. Among them is the Metropolitan of Chelyabinsk and Miass Nikodim. Orthodox rivers flow to polyphonic singing.
After the Divine Liturgy, the Primate of the Russian Church delivered a sermon, where he named the main lesson that Russia should learn from the execution of Emperor Nicholas II and his family. According to Patriarch Kirill, what happened in July 1918 should teach once and for all that under no circumstances should one be tempted by promises of a better life and outside help, which more “educated” and “advanced” people are allegedly ready to provide. Especially if the path to achieving this "happiness" lies through destruction and blood. He also urged never to forget about this tragedy of the past, so that the people would have strong immunity to any calls to achieve human happiness through the destruction of what is.
After the liturgy, a column is formed. The number of people who came from all over the world is immense. Around - prayers, chants, Russian and foreign speeches of thousands of pilgrims. Priests, monks, old children... Serbs are in front of us, Cossacks are behind us. The descendants of the Romanov family also came to the procession - the great-great-grandson of Alexander III and the widow of the nephew of Nicholas II Olga Kulikovskaya-Romanova.
Our "solar" group with banners is numerous. Visible from all sides. Under the icon of the Royal Passion-Bearers, which we brought with us from Chelyabinsk, those who came strive to “dive”.
Vladyka appears, followed by bishops, archbishops, metropolitans of various dioceses.
"Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us!" - resounds in the crowd and instantly picked up by thousands of voices, flying in all directions.
The time is 3 am. The column begins to march. For a long time we walk around the city. Flashes of faces standing along the road of the townspeople, bridges, houses. Human river, not to embrace with a glance. To the horizon in both directions people. Let's sing a prayer in unison. It's getting light.
By five in the morning, more and more surprised faces appear in the windows of houses, past which the procession of many thousands is moving.
Dawn catches us when we enter the forest. On the sign "Ganina Pit 7km".
The procession moves swiftly and only in the forest, where the road becomes narrower, does it slow down.
Fatigue kicks in. But realizing that the Patriarch is ahead, who, by the way, is 72 years old, you forget about fatigue.
We got there, the clergy are already singing on the territory of the monastery. From the loudspeakers the voice of the Patriarch:
“His Eminence and Grace Masters! Dear fathers, brothers and sisters!
With a joyful feeling, I walked this mournful path together with all of you on the day when we remember and celebrate the tragic event - we celebrate, because through this event the royal family was canonized. And we believe that today she, the family of the Royal Passion-Bearers, is with us in this prayer and in this procession.
Lifting up a prayer to the holy saints of God, we ask them to be intercessors before God for our Russian land, for our people, for our Church, so that the Lord protects our Fatherland and people, and the Church from all confusion, from divisions, splits, from all human unrighteousness, in order to keep us the truth of faith and the piety of our people. We believe that if we save this, then we will save Russia, and the country will be great and the people will prosper. With their prayers, may the Lord protect the Russian land. Amen"
We've arrived. Tired, but happy to have arrived. THANK GOD! The path was hard.
The area near Ganina Yama instantly filled with people. Volunteers fed porridge from the field kitchen. They shared their impressions.
After a short rest, we headed back. Our bus was at Shuvakish station, 2.5 km from Ganina Yama. We walked slowly back, smiling at each other, someone was silent, someone was talking to strangers that an hour ago they were still walking together in one column and singing in chorus. The procession united those who passed it.
And still had to call in the village of Bulzi. They were already waiting for their counselors.
We were greeted with joy. The guys from the camp "Heir" and the nuns from the convent venerated the icon of the Royal Passion-Bearers, which went with us the entire procession.
The Night Royal Procession of the Cross in 2018 will be remembered for a lifetime. Thank God for being a part of this event. We thank each other for like-mindedness, comradely shoulder, kind encouraging words, a warm friendly look when it was hard, joint prayer, for a sense of unity and community, for all the bright thoughts and feelings that we managed to experience during the Procession! God bless everyone!
Full photo album from the procession: see
Text and photo: Nadezhda Tyutikova
Editing: Anatoly Fursov
Tonight, the main event of the Tsar's Days took place in Yekaterinburg - the procession from the Church-on-the-Blood to the Monastery of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers at Ganina Yama. The procession was led by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.
The journalists of the "Oblastnaya Gazeta" were broadcasting live from the scene.
According to preliminary data, announced during the briefing by the abbot of the monastery, Bishop of Nizhny Tagil and Nevyansk Evgeny, about 100,000 people took part in the Royal procession.
About 15,000 people took communion at the Divine Liturgy. Communion was conducted from 100 bowls.
08:20 Tatyana Merzlyakova, Commissioner for Human Rights in the Sverdlovsk Region:
For the first time I went through the full route of the royal procession. It was hard, yes. When I passed by my house, I wanted to run away unnoticed. But I decided to go all the way. This is the path of repentance that we must walk. Spiritual cleansing. It's worth it, believe me. I am happy that the governor, the plenipotentiary representative of the president, the patriarch were with us. All were together with their people in these memorable days.
08:00 The Patriarch held the morning service at Ganina Yama. The atmosphere is hard to put into words. The crusaders keep walking, the pilgrims will stay here for more than one hour. People are obviously tired, but everyone is smiling
06:42 The Patriarch conducts a service at Ganina Yama.
06:40 Some men in expensive suits at the front of the procession seem ready to trade their patent-leather boots for a pair of worn moccasins at the nearest pilgrim.
06:30 Gypsies stand by the side of the road to the monastery and ask the pilgrims for money to help their "sick children". Even on such a blessed day, there are scammers who are hungry for benefits on the good feelings of believers.
06:20 The closer to Ganina Yama, the louder the ringing of bells in the monastery and the quieter the prayers of the crusaders. Women in an undertone sing "Have mercy on us, Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God."
06:15 For the passage of pilgrims, the EKAD was completely blocked. Despite the fact that drivers were warned about this in advance, there are motorists who still drive along the ring road. But they are quickly turned back.
06:00 From the village of Shuvakish to Ganina Yama, an asphalt road was made especially for the arrival of Patriarch Kirill, so that it would be more convenient for pilgrims to walk.
05:50 The pilgrims entered the village of Shuvakish - they had about two kilometers left to Ganina Yama. Ahead, a few hundred meters from the column, is Metropolitan Kirill of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye, who will arrive at the monastery of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers 10 minutes earlier than the Crusaders in order to prepare everything for the patriarchal visit.
05:40 The procession goes along the forest road. It smells of dampness and mushrooms. Perhaps, here, in silence, the awareness of the tragedy of a century ago comes more clearly, more clearly than in a bustling city. The procession is approaching the end point.
What was in the area of Ganina Yama 100 years ago?
In the 19th century, they tried to mine gold in these places, there was a mine. It is believed that in the middle of the century, a certain contractor Gabriel, whom the inhabitants of the nearby village of Koptyaki called Ganya, became the owner of the plot of land. Ore was mined at the mine and coal was burned, but already at the beginning of the 20th century the mine was abandoned and in fact it was a quarry filled with melt water. According to historians, there were three dozen old mines, pits and pits around Ganina Yama. In one of the mines, the bodies of the executed royal family and close associates were dumped.
05:30 Nikolai Tsukanov and Yevgeny Kuyvashev listened to the service together, they are walking together in the procession.
05:15 What are the walkers talking about? About life. The girls from the Pedagogical College did not pass their exams well. They go not to pray for good grades, but "because in life you have to try everything and not learn history from Matilda." The guys are discussing the victory of France at the World Cup. "Well, let's go with the procession. Dvizhuha. Why not a sport?" The grandmothers of the pilgrims complain about worn shoes and a small pension. City Hall employees - on too fast patriarch.
Dmitry Sokolov, the founder of the Ural Pelmeni KVN team, is walking ahead of the pilgrim column. He goes along with his wife and his children: two of them are sleeping in a stroller, and the third child is catching up with his father.
Dmitry said that he joined the procession at Sorting, after a night of worship in the Sredneuralsk convent in the name of the icon of the Mother of God "The Conqueror of Bread".
I go and feel light, - he said. - The Holy Family helps us and gives us strength to walk the royal path.
05:00 The procession entered the village of Seven Keys. Here, Technical Street narrows almost one and a half times, so the column of pilgrims slowed down a bit. The sun came out, which cheered up the crusaders, and now they are walking along the royal path with renewed vigor. Dogs bark after them - the village wakes up.
04:30 Sortirovka is a small microdistrict, so people living on Tekhnicheskaya Street can hear the noise of the Orthodox column very well. Local residents wake up from laudatory chants and watch the procession from the open windows.
04:14 The procession goes along the Sorting. On the central street of the microdistrict - Tekhnicheskaya - next to the Tagansky Ryad market, labor migrants lined up. They look with surprise at the column of pilgrims and film the procession on smartphones.
04:10 Pilgrims rocked the bridge on the way to Sortirovka. The bridge is only 30 meters, but people had enough impressions. Especially as impressionable as some journalists of "Oblgazeta" in a skirt. The bridge staggered concretely, it is necessary to find out if this section of the route is safe for such a number of people.
04:08 There are many different people among the crusaders. There are also very marginal personalities. For example, the so-called "gopniks", familiar to many from the television series "Real Boys".
The guys are almost all from small towns in the Sverdlovsk region. They say that the arrival of the Patriarch is a very big gift for them. Each of them goes in a column, so that later they can tell their friends about how it was.
03:45 Surprisingly many parents with prams. Only in the visible column next to us are five carriages.
03:39 The city sleeps and does not know that today is a bright night. There was almost no darkness.
03:25 All streets along the way of the procession are blocked for 100 meters from the procession, the sidewalks are cleared from obstacles for pilgrims. For example, at the corner of Tokarey and Tatishchev streets, a flower kiosk was removed so that it would not interfere with the crusaders.
03:20 The column of pilgrims stretched for several kilometers. Orthodox chants are heard from all parts of the procession - at the beginning of the column, the banner-bearers praise God, and priests and Cossacks sing behind Patriarch Kirill.
03:16 Surprisingly easy is the royal procession. Many believers say that in such processions one does not feel tired, you are walking, picked up by some unknown force. But we still lagged behind the patriarch. The primate walks very cheerfully.
03:05 The procession greets the Church of St. Innocent, which is located on Lenin Street in the center of Yekaterinburg, with a bell ringing.
02:58 One of the clergy of the Moscow Patriarchate said that Patriarch Kirill would easily go all the way - every day he walks 8-10 kilometers.
02:55 The procession goes along the main avenue of Yekaterinburg. YGD deputy Dmitry Sergin is walking. Truly a feat for a person with disabilities
02:39 Patriarch Kirill walks at a surprisingly fast pace, his escorts barely keep up with him. It seems that people do not even believe that you can just walk through the city center next to the patriarch, without security guards and flashing lights.
02:37 During a conversation with journalists, Tatyana Merzlyakova said that the procession is repentance, and it is important for everyone to feel this.
A century of regicide happens once in a lifetime, - said Tatyana Georgievna.
02:35 Evgeny Kuyvashev and Vadim Dubichev are also among the participants in the procession.
02:25 In the meantime, the journalistic pool set off on special buses to the first point of the tsar's route, the journalists of the Oblgazeta, after prayerful standing, selflessly went on foot. With the people. Next to us is Tatyana Merzlyakova, Commissioner for Human Rights in the Sverdlovsk Region, and Yulia Mikhalkova, the star of the Ural dumplings.
02:20 The well-known Ural businessman Andrey Simanovsky takes part in the procession for the first time. According to him, he came here to escape from work problems and finally think about the eternal.
I want to go through the procession to the end. On foot. It's important for me. Historic day. Then I will share my impressions.
02:15 The patriarchal cortege, accompanied by traffic police and ambulances, is ready for the start of the procession.
02:10 An ambulance is on duty at the Patriarchal Metochion. According to the doctors, five people have already turned to them that night. Basically, people complain of pressure and general weakness. Doctors say that these are pilgrims who came or came from afar.
2:03 Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill personally leads the procession. Recall that Vladyka is 71 years old, but it is hardly worth worrying about his health. A few years ago, Vladyka spoke about his desire to fly into space. As Lenta.ru reported, he stated this at a meeting with the leadership of Roscosmos. This information was then confirmed by the head of the corporation, Anatoly Perminov, who said that in the past, the patriarch had performed 20 training flights on MiG aircraft, even performing aerobatics.
The Patriarch regularly participates in religious processions. Last year, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church passed along with the participants of the Velikoretsky Cross Procession, which is considered one of the most ancient in our country. It takes place in early June in the Kirov region, and its total route exceeds 180 kilometers.
One of the worldly hobbies of Patriarch Kirill is skiing. Moreover, he prefers those for which a ski track is not needed - mountain and water.
Patriarch Kirill is a co-author of a trilogy about Sambo co-founder Vasily Oshchepkov, who is the founder of international competitions in judo and other martial arts in the USSR. He repeatedly spoke about what he considers martial arts an important tool uniting his flock. The book "And the Eternal Battle" can be easily found in the bookstores of our city or ordered through popular specialized services. The price is quite democratic - about 290 rubles.
2:00 The Divine Liturgy is over. The formation of columns for the night religious procession to Ganina Yama begins.
We remind you that there are 25 brigades in the body of the procession, consisting of clergy, sisters of mercy and volunteers. Those who will not be able to walk throughout the entire route can use the buses that will take the pilgrims to Ganina Yama to the beginning of the service.
You can ask for help or find out the location of the bus by calling the dispatcher of the Orthodox Mercy Service - 268-99-29, +7-950-64-69-019.
01:50 Patriarch Kirill addressed the audience:
Such a crime as was committed here cannot be accidental. Behind him is the collective guilt of the whole people. A certain turn in the historical life of all Russia. What happened to our people a hundred years ago? After all, the vast majority were baptized, because they attended churches. Why did the killer pull the trigger without a twinge of conscience? So, not everything went well.
Apostasy from God, loss of spiritual connection with the church... When, why did this happen to our people? Why did he at some point in time, like a train entering a sharp turn, rush to disaster ... Alien thoughts, alien ideals that had nothing to do with Christianity began to be perceived by the intelligentsia, the aristocracy and part of the clergy as progressive thoughts ...
The most terrible bloody upheavals occurred during an attempt to change life for the better. Having renounced the spiritual birthright, we have darkened ourselves with the idea of drastically changing our lives, and many, captured by this idea, have reached the point of crime... Or is it possible through the destruction of the shrine, through the blood to build this better life? History says it's impossible.
We must remember the tragedies of the past. We must be immune to calls to achieve human happiness through destruction and blood.
The crown of the retreat from the most precious was the execution of the royal family. Innocent people.
Having gathered here in such a multitude, we recall the tragedy of the Ipatiev House in the hope that nothing like this will ever happen again.
We must learn an important lesson from this - we do not need any outside help. We must remember the past.
We must form a stable rejection of ideas to aspire to some better future, so that such tragedies never happen in Russia.
May the Lord keep all the Russian people who came out of the Kyiv font and keep the Orthodox faith.
In memory of his divine service, Patriarch Kirill presented the Temple-on-the-Blood with a golden altar cross, and the Yekaterinburg diocese - 15 gospels for 15 churches.
01:34 Among those who are cheerful on duty are dozens of law enforcement officers. Today they ensure the safety of the commemorative service and the procession. Hundreds of pilgrims passed through metal detectors. I must say that with a record number of visitors, no crush has yet been noticed.
01:30 The first tired ones appear. These are volunteers who practically do not sleep during the Tsar's Days. The overwhelming majority in the square stands on their feet for the entire service. Units brought folding chairs.
01:26 It seems that the smallest pilgrim is not even one year old. He sleeps sweetly in a carriage to the lulling voices of the clergy. Among the people of respectable age there are those who are already over 80.
01:25 Together with Patriarch Kirill, 12 bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church serve. Coincidentally or not, but there were the same number of apostles with Jesus Christ. Among the hierarchs there are permanent and temporary members of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, bishops of the Yekaterinburg diocese.
By the way, the permanent members of the Synod are the metropolitans of Kyiv and all Ukraine, St. Petersburg and Ladoga, Krutitsy and Kolomna, Minsk and Slutsk, Chisinau and all Moldova, Astana and Kazakhstan, Tashkent and Uzbekistan, the chairman of the department for external church relations and the manager of the affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate.
Any bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church can become a temporary member of the Synod after a two-year term of his administration of the diocese.
01:20 The whole area reads "Our Father".
01:11 “God, cleanse us sinners and have mercy on us,” His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia says in a prayer. The Divine Liturgy has been going on for more than an hour. People get on their knees.
01:10 The clergy together with the pilgrims pronounced the creed. This prayer is a summary of the fundamentals of Christian doctrine and consists of 12 parts.
00:51 There are a lot of young guys and girls among the worshipers. This year, by the way, for the first time Orthodox volunteers are working on the Tsar's Day. They can be recognized by their bright red T-shirts. They help visitors to navigate in a new place, give explanations on the peculiarities of the procession, suggest emergency phone numbers, places where you can get free water,.
00:39 The service is broadcast live on Soyuz TV channel
The vestments of the Patriarch have a special meaning, and each part of the robes has its own special meaning. In the vestments you can see velvet, brocade, gold embroidery and even precious stones. Despite the outward representativeness, the vestment does not weigh that much - 3-4 kilograms. By the way, outside of divine services, the “regular” clothing of a bishop is an ordinary black cassock and a white cockle on his head. Interestingly, the cassock is fastened only at the collar and at the waist.
00:36 Pilgrims from Serbia came to Yekaterinburg to participate in the Tsar's Days. A group of 50 believers, including priests, monks and laity from different regions of the country, arrived in the Middle Urals a few days ago. They have already been to Alapaevsk, and today, after the patriarchal service in the Church-on-the-Blood, they will go in procession to Ganina Yama.
Before the start of the Divine Liturgy, the Serbs communicated with their brothers in faith and sang songs about love for Russia. According to Alexander Milevich, pilgrim from Belgrade, many Russians cry when they hear this song.
We came to Yekaterinburg because we honor the holy Tsar Nicholas II, who lost his family and empire, - said Alexander Milevich. - Our people are grateful to him for the fact that, according to his decision, Russia entered the First world war. He should not have done this - your country was not ready for this war, but the king still decided to protect Serbia from the encroachments of European countries. And we are delighted with your people and their good attitude towards us. You share our pain at the loss of Kosovo and Metohija, and many of you join us in the hope of their return to Serbia.
00:30 There is a service.
00:00 His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia begins the Divine Liturgy. The area near the temple is overcrowded, people are standing shoulder to shoulder, this year the number of pilgrims who came should break all records.
For the first time, Patriarch Kirill takes part in the holding of the Tsar's Days in Yekaterinburg.
23:55 Pilgrims bow before the icon of the holy royal martyr Nicholas. There are only a few minutes left before the long-awaited Divine Liturgy.
23:50 The bell ringing spills over the temple elevation. From the feeling of belonging to a truly historic event, many have tears in their eyes.
23:45 There are many foreigners among the pilgrims. Francesco Rodriguez Bilasco came from Madrid. His grandfather was a major during the Spanish Civil War in 1936-1939 and fought against the communists on the side of General Franco.
Francesco is friends with the family of Maria Vladimirovna Romanova, head of the Russian Imperial House, who lives in Spain.
He said that now the Grand Duchess is in Tobolsk. In this city, the royal family was in exile from August 1917 to April 1918, then they were transferred to Yekaterinburg.
The Spaniard came here for two days, especially to participate in the Royal Days. He is waiting for the patriarchal service, but he will not go to the procession to Ganina Yama.
According to Francesco, many Russians live in Spain, and there are several Orthodox churches in Madrid.
There are many believers in Russia, but few in Spain,” said Francesco. - Your religion is being revived. The communists, those dictators and murderers who killed many millions of people in Russia, are no longer in power, so more and more people are turning to Orthodoxy in your country. Russia made right choice becoming a democracy. In China, Cuba and Nicaragua, where the communists are still in power, people live badly and without faith.
23:35 People pass burning church candles to each other. At dusk, a unique atmosphere reigns. Pilgrims are holding portraits of Nicholas II, photographs of the royal family, old icons. They give each other commemorative cards depicting the holy royal martyrs.
23:30 Prayer readings begin in the square near the temple.
23:18 came to the platform in front of the temple in an elegant lilac hat. Olga Nikolaevna very emotionally answers the question about the recognition of the Tsar's remains. In her opinion, nothing has been decided yet and it is too early to draw conclusions. Genetic examination, in her opinion, is a lie that accompanies the epic with the royal remains for more than a year.
This is a solemn day. The main thing for me is the divine service, which we are now waiting for. We pray to the innocent victims and feel help from them. I'm very sorry that this happened... It hurts. But now I want to move on to the news in the newspapers about the recognition of the Tsar's remains. Nothing, absolutely nothing has been decided yet. The same lies that were a hundred years ago are repeated today. We hear this lie even now. They started talking about the remains from the 80s, the remains were taken to London - the experts already knew the result in advance. It was brainwashing. Let's hope for the truth. It's my opinion. I don't want to guess. Wait and see.
Olga Nikolaevna Kulikovskaya-Romanova, the widow of the nephew of Nicholas II and the grandson of Emperor Alexander III - Tikhon Nikolaevich Kulikovsky-Romanov. Public figure, Honorary Academician of the Russian Academy of Arts, author of many publications in the foreign and Russian press, member of the Writers' Union of Russia.
- Born in 1926 in Yugoslavia in a family of Russian emigrants.
- She studied at the Mariinsky Don Institute for Noble Maidens (a branch of Smolny), evacuated from Novocherkassk during civil war in the city of Bila Tserkva in Yugoslavia.
- During the Second World War, she was interned in Stuttgart, where she worked in a factory. Subsequently, she moved to Venezuela, received a medical, commercial, architectural education.
- After moving to Canada, she worked as a translator in government agencies.
- In 1986, in Toronto, she married Tikhon Nikolaevich Kulikovsky-Romanov.
- In 1991, the Kulikovsky-Romanovs organized the Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna charitable foundation “Russian Aid Program”, which provides assistance to hospitals, shelters, organizations and individuals.
Speaks seven languages: Russian, French, German, Spanish, English, Serbian, Italian.
23:15 Ilze Liepa:
An amazing atmosphere among the pilgrims, I feel how the best human qualities are revealed in us. I would like to help each other. A very strong sense of togetherness.
23:10 We are waiting Natalya Poklonskaya.
23:05 Ilze Liepa is crying:
I cannot hear when our emperor is called a weak ruler. I wish the younger generation didn't think that way. It's not fair.
A famous ballerina is hard to recognize in a crowd. She is wearing a black floor-length skirt, a gray windbreaker and a strict scarf, a backpack over her shoulder.
23:00 Famous ballerina visited Tsar's Days Ilse Liepa.
Our whole family reverently treats the royal family. This tragedy is a turning point in the life of the country.
We have a feeling that everything that happens in Yekaterinburg is a truly great event. We are happy, some incredible inspiration. So many people responded to this great event.
The Monk Martyr Elizabeth is my heavenly intercessor. Today I will go in procession in memory of her.
22:56 Almost five dozen pilgrims came to Yekaterinburg from New Zealand, Australia, the USA, Singapore. All members of the Russian Church Abroad. Vladimir Boykov:
Abroad, the royal family is highly revered. Dozens of people responded to my invitation, they want to follow the royal path. We want the Lord to change the hearts of Russian people all over the world - are we worthy of the feat of the Tsar's martyrs ... It is very difficult for us, but difficulties harden us. Let's keep our Russianness, our specialness before God.
22:55 Archpriest press approach Vladimir Boykov, Dean of the parishes of the Russian Church Abroad in New Zealand. : 17 of them he flew from Auckland to Doha, the capital of Qatar, then there was a 16-hour transfer, a 5-hour flight to Moscow and 2 hours to Yekaterinburg. Together with the priest, 42 pilgrims arrived.
22:50 Surprisingly, hundreds of pilgrims have already gathered at the temple, but at the same time, grace-filled silence hung over the square.
22:48 Pavel Kulikovsky arrived on the Tsar's days in Yekaterinburg. With the help of an interpreter, he spoke to reporters. The first question about
As I was informed, this is not yet the final decision of the investigative committee. But I am very glad that the investigation is ongoing. I hope for objective results.
When I visit Yekaterinburg, I have mixed feelings. A sense of responsibility and joy at the same time.
I am sure that the tsarist days will be held in Yekaterinburg in five and many years. I travel a lot in Russia, I see how much is being done to preserve the memory of the Romanovs. Love for them will always be kept in people's memory.
I have been living in Russia since 2008. I wanted to see with my own eyes how the legacy of the Romanovs is preserved. I decided to publish the magazine "News of the Romanovs". This is a charity project, we have 18,000 subscribers. There is a growing interest in society Russian history. I am very happy to touch historical events here in Yekaterinburg.
Pavel Eduardovich Kulikovsky , great-great-grandson of Emperor Alexander III, honorary member of the Association of members of the Romanov family
Born in 1960 in Toronto (Canada) in the family of Canadian citizen Ralph Edward Jones and Xenia Guryevna Kulikovskaya, the eldest granddaughter of Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna. Olga Alexandrovna was the daughter of Emperor Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna, as well as the sister of Emperor Nicholas II. He is a direct descendant of the royal and imperial dynasty of the Romanovs.
He spent most of his life in Denmark, since 2008 he has been living in Moscow.
Since July 2017, the official representative of the Association of members of the Romanov family.
22:30 On the site near the temple at this moment, the last preparations before the Divine Liturgy.
22:18 A group of pilgrims from Serbia sing prayer hymns at the temple from Karl Liebknecht Street. Passers-by listened, they sing very sincerely. The pilgrims traveled for three days by bus in a group of 53 people. Some come to Yekaterinburg not for the first time
22:15 The first impression from the pilgrims who are gathering at the temple at this moment is that there are a lot of young people.
22:10 Orthodox sisters of mercy of the Yekaterinburg diocese are instructed in first aid to pilgrims during the procession.
Rescuers of the Ministry of Emergency Situations are also ready for emergency situations that can happen during the procession.
21:59 Pilgrims begin to gather in small groups to the Church-on-the-Blood.
According to the estimates of the Yekaterinburg diocese, more than 100 thousand believers from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and far abroad countries - Australia, Singapore, Great Britain, Germany, Serbia and other countries will take part in the pilgrimage. Orthodox Christians have to walk about 21 kilometers. The route will run along the central streets of the city through VIZ, Sortirovka, the villages of Seven Keys and Shuvakish.
Before the procession, exactly at midnight, the Divine Liturgy will be held in the Church-on-the-Blood. The service will be conducted by the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church. Together with him the first persons of the Ural federal district and Sverdlovsk region. It is expected that representatives of the Romanov dynasty will take part in the service, famous politicians, public figures.
The history of the Royal Days began on July 16, 1989. On this day, in the wasteland where the Ipatiev House had previously been located, the first prayer service was served in memory of the holy royal martyrs. Believers came to the place of execution of the royal family with homemade banners. At ten o'clock in the evening they gathered in a circle, put candles and began to pray. Less than half an hour later, a police officer appeared and demanded to disperse. Following him, the riot police arrived, who did not stand on ceremony with the Orthodox and detained 11 people, including two minors. The rest were rudely dispersed, and the candles were trampled on.
But the attitude of the authorities towards Orthodoxy soon changed, and in the wake of perestroika in August 1990, a wooden Poklonny Cross was installed on the site of the Ipatiev House, near which believers began to pray regularly. Despite this, atheists constantly broke it, so by the end of that year the wooden cross was replaced with a metal one.
It was from here that the first religious procession along the Royal Road took place in 1992. Since then they have become annual.
In the 1990s, several dozen people took part in the pilgrimage to Ganina Yama, but after the Russian Orthodox Church canonized the royal family as a saint in August 2000, the number of crusaders began to grow: in 2000, about 300 took part in the procession along the Royal Road believers, in 2002 - already 4 thousand, in 2012 - about 50 thousand, and in 2016 - over 60 thousand.
Plot
In 2018, Russia celebrates the 150th anniversary of the birth of Emperor Nicholas II and the 100th anniversary of the tragic death of the Royal Family.
