The greatest event in the Christian world: how Russia prepared for the meeting of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. All-night vigil and meeting of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior What do they ask the saint for? Have you witnessed miracles

Summer is ending and with it its main event for all Orthodox people - the bringing of part of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, kept in the basilica of Bari (Italy), to the Russian Orthodox Church. Of course, this event was historic and long-awaited for millions of believers throughout our vast Motherland. An event that will forever remain in the memory of both pilgrims and the main assistants of the saint from May 21 to July 28 - an army of thousands of volunteers! The entire chronology of miracles that happened by the will of God and the prayers of St. Nicholas is in our material today.

Helpers of St. Nicholas – Orthodox Volunteers

Diplomatic agreements. The beginning of miracles

The year 2017, when we remember the tragic events of the 20th, bloody century, is marked not only by sorrow for the past, but also with joy about the present, for in the year of the 100th anniversary of the great Russian Revolution, our country was visited by the wondrous Saint of God - who for the first time in 930 years left his place of permanent of his stay - a Catholic basilica in the Italian city of Bari.

Without going into details, which almost every Orthodox person today already knows, it is worth noting, however, that this truly epoch-making historical event took place thanks to a diplomatic agreement reached between His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Kirill and His Holiness the Holy Pope Francis during a meeting at Havana José Martí International Airport on February 12, 2016.

Meeting of the relics of St. Nicholas in the main church of Russia

Time passed, and that long-awaited day came, May 21, when in the Cathedral Cathedral of Christ the Savior in the capital city of Moscow, with a large crowd of people, a solemn meeting of the ark with a particle of the relics of the Archbishop of Myra of Lycia took place, headed by the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church in the co-service of vicar bishops and clergy with of the entire Fatherland. Under the popular singing of glorification of the saint, his venerable remains were brought under the arches of the main church of the country, where the pre-holiday all-night vigil was held.

On the holiday of prayerful memory of the transfer of the relics of the holy wonderworker to Bari, the hearts of people standing near the ark in Moscow, as well as throughout Russia, rejoiced from the overflowing joy of their future, mysterious, purely personal communication with their beloved Saint Nicholas. In those minutes it seemed that the earth was united with Heaven, that angels were praying to God together with people. So it was, for, despite the terrible events recalled, the Orthodox faith is alive and active, and no matter how they try to break it, it continues to grow among our people and sing the glory of the One Deity, Worshiped in the Holy Trinity.

Miracles of St. Nicholas

The Divine Liturgy marked the beginning of the flow of people to the relics of St. Nicholas, marked by a large number of miracles and signs revealed to those who from the depths of their hearts (Ps. 129:1) turned their “ardent” prayers for help or with thanksgiving to the Lord, His Most Pure Mother and the holy archpastor of the city of Myra. At the request of the Holy Bishop, he was told about everything that happened to the pilgrims who, by their faith, received what they asked for, which is called nothing less than a miracle. Our movement launched a special hashtag “#MiraclesThrough the Eyes of Volunteers,” under which we summarize what is happening on #Nikolsk Days. It is clear that it will not be possible to put all the miracles in one material, because there were very, very many of them, but we will still present some of them.

Cathedral prayer for the innocently convicted on St. Nicholas Days

This is what Anna Golik, regent of the Orthodox Volunteer Choir, says about one miracle in her article “Dedicated to people with whom the impossible is possible”: “I know a girl who prayed a lot for her brother, he was framed and sent to prison for 6 years. He had already served 1.5 years, and on one of the Nikolsky days his sentence was extended for another 6 years. I remember how she cried and prayed fervently. We, her friends, tried to help as best we could - some submitted notes for prayer services, some conveyed the request to priests they knew, and some personally asked the saint for help. It was a real cathedral prayer. I won’t go into detail, I’ll just say that after three weeks he was released. At all. For me, this was the most important miracle during the entire stay of the relics in Moscow.”

Choir of Orthodox Volunteers and its choir director – Anna Golik

Help with housing

St. Nicholas does not specialize in helping only sailors and travelers, he helps everyone, as evidenced by our volunteer Yulia Egorova: “St. Nicholas helped me a lot, and when I prayed at his relics! I had problems with housing, and I didn’t know what to do, of course, I was very upset. A friend told me: “Pray to Nicholas the Pleasant, and He will help you!” I prayed, asked for help, and somehow wrote on my wall on a social network that I was looking for housing. People reposted, liked, but there were no responses, and literally on the 3rd day after duty, Lyudmila wrote to me, who agreed to accept me! Isn't this a miracle? Of course, a miracle!”

It’s as if all our beautiful Russia is multinational, religious, sometimes gloomy...

This is what Tatyana Shcherbakova says about the presence of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker within the Russian Orthodox Church: “I had the opportunity to visit the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker nine times. And every time I stood at the exit, listening to the akathist, I was amazed at the faces of the pilgrims leaving the relics: many people literally glowed!

Different nationalities, all, all ages: girls and boys, adult men and women, families with teenage children and babies in their arms. The faces are smiling, some are serious, tired, some are crying... It’s as if all of our beautiful Russia - multinational, religious, sometimes gloomy - has concentrated these days in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. And the Temple itself turned into that very “One, Catholic and Apostolic Church” about which we sing at the Liturgy.

Mired in the bustle of life, we often don’t know who we are. Sometimes we are indifferent and callous, and are not fair to our neighbors. But on days like these, which come perhaps once in a lifetime, the Savior, through His saints, shows us our true essence and reveals the souls of our neighbors, whose glowing faces we see on these wonderful St. Nicholas days.”

The distant, never-expected dream of singing in a large choir came true here and now...

No one is left indifferent by the review of our choir singer Olga Kobzeva, who wrote about St. Nicholas Days in her article “Dedicated to the Saint and all my inspirers”: “Nicholas is truly a Wonderworker. And even though I don’t have a story about healing or about a sharp turn of fate, nothing visible or material happened in my life, but something great happened for me personally, inside me. The most striking was the first visit to a prayer service with an akathist as a singer. I must say that there was no purpose in asking for anything. It was not clear to the end how or what would happen. And in general, until recently, I didn’t really believe that I would get there.

But what happened in the soul while two choirs of 60 people were singing under the high arches right in front of the shrine with the relics is impossible to describe in words. But I left the Temple differently. The distant, never-expected dream of singing in a large choir was coming true here and now.<…>One day, when there were no appointments for prayer services, I decided to come and put on a green shirtfront. This first duty was also entirely a miracle. Frankly, deep down, I really wanted to work in a church, and not on the street, and I also really wanted to distribute icons, for some reason I just wanted to. Of course, I never dreamed of this. But everything came true! It’s also impossible to describe my joy on this day.”

All-Russian Orthodox Youth Choir at the relics of Archbishop Myra of Lycia

Echoing Olga Kobzeva’s enthusiasm for participating in prayer services at the relics of St. Nicholas, I would like to say a special word about the choir of the “Orthodox Volunteers” movement, which at the time of bringing the greatest shrine to Moscow became not just large and even enormous, it became the All-Russian Orthodox Youth Choir, which was praised by all beloved Archbishop Myra of Lycia.

The Choir of Orthodox Volunteers is a small world in which everything happened in St. Nicholas days: problems with the formation of an army of singers, and its colossal influx, and the presence of several compositions in the church and the presence of only two people during the singing of prayer services, but no matter what happened, we the beloved Choir was afloat, was always ready to sing prayers and praise the holy wonderworker, was always ready to get out of the most unusual situation. For what we witnessed, for the emotions that visited, are visiting and will continue to visit us all for a long time, Orthodox volunteers prayerfully thank all the singers of Russia and the purely permanent, talented, patient, beloved regent Anya Golik, who lived in those days on in one breath, doing everything at once, who gave her all and at the same time put her broad soul into each prayer service.

Seeing off the relics of St. Nicholas to St. Petersburg

During the stay of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Moscow, the ark with its celibate relics was also transferred to the northern capital of Russia - St. Petersburg, where it remained from July 13 to July 28 of this year. The farewell of the relics of St. Nicholas took place at night, July 13. Participants in the Orthodox Volunteers movement gathered on July 13 at 00:30 in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, at about 4-5 in the morning a prayer service was served by Bishop Arseny Istrinsky, after which the ark was solemnly escorted from the temple to the bus, which departed for the airport.

Olga Balabanova shared her impressions of that night with us: “By the grace of God, I was honored to be in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior on the night of St. Nicholas’ farewell from Moscow to St. Petersburg. Saint Nicholas became especially dear to each of us during the stay of his venerable relics in Moscow. On my farewell night, I had the feeling that I was seeing off a very dear person on a long journey, so it was very difficult to hold back my tears. Despite the physical separation, we understand that St. Nicholas is always near us: in our hearts, in our prayers... He still stands before the Lord God and intercedes for us in his prayers.”

Over 2.3 million people in 67 days!

During the 15 St. Nicholas Days in St. Petersburg, the flow of pilgrims from all over our vast Motherland did not stop. And the total number of all believers who venerated the relics of the Saint in Moscow and St. Petersburg amounted to more than 2.3 million people in 67 days!

Seeing off the relics of St. Nicholas in Bari

The church-state holiday of the Baptism of Rus' this year was marked with both joy and sadness at the same time, for in the Trinity Cathedral of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, after the Divine Liturgy, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' with a host of bishops and representatives of the delegation of the Roman Catholic Church accompanying the ninth rib of St. Nicholas, carried the ark with his honorable remains to the city of Bari, where the shrine with the holy relics of the wonderworker has been hidden in the altar of the Catholic basilica for 930 years.

Blessed St. Nicholas Days

Remembering the blessed #NicholasDays, let us thank all the organizers of the event of a truly historical, universal scale, offering prayers for them: His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus', His Holiness Pope Francis, members of the Organizing Committee for the bringing of the greatest shrine for the opportunity to be assistants to such a great saint and our leader - Mikhail Gennadievich Kuksov for uniting us all in this event!

And, of course, we once again, again and again, thank everyone who took part in this greatest event - they helped, photographed, supported, and accompanied all the way along the lines leading to the relics of the saint. All the volunteers who tirelessly, sparing no effort and time, in heat and cold, under pouring rain and bright sun, stood in labor and prayer together with pilgrims from all over our vast Motherland.

May the Lord bless you all for many and prosperous years!

The material was prepared by the Information Service of the Orthodox Volunteers movement.

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The arrival of the relics of St. Nicholas the Pleasant in Moscow was marked by the ringing of bells. It began with the main bell tower of Russia, the Ivan the Great Bell Tower in the Kremlin, and then was immediately picked up by the belfries of all the churches of the capital. The shrine was brought to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior at the beginning of the festive evening service, on the eve of the feast day of St. Nicholas. The all-night vigil and meeting of the relics in the main cathedral church of the capital was led by the patriarch himself.

Tonight, and this is traditional for a service of this kind, access to the temple was organized by invitation from the patriarch, but starting tomorrow all believers are already welcome, reports NTV correspondent Sergei Kholoshevsky.

Public order and security in the area of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior will be ensured by over two thousand law enforcement officers, and ambulance doctors will monitor the well-being of pilgrims. Priests of the Moscow diocese will also be on duty in line to see the relics. All of them will be assisted by at least 10 thousand volunteers.

It is expected that the bringing of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker will cause the same resonance among believers as the bringing of the belt of the Blessed Virgin Mary from Mount Athos to Russia in 2011. Then, according to rough estimates, more than three million pilgrims worshiped this shrine, and the waiting time in line at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior reached 26 hours.

The capital's authorities assure that the city is ready to receive any number of pilgrims, and predict that the queue to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior will stretch for about two kilometers to the Crimean Bridge. Therefore, pilgrims who want to venerate the relics of St. Nicholas the Pleasant will have to get off at the Park Kultury metro station (circular or radial).

In case of a large number of people wishing to attend, the queue will be extended along the embankment towards Luzhniki. Then you will have to go to Frunzenskaya or even to Vorobyovy Gory, which the organizers will inform about promptly. Information about the actual length of the queue can be tracked on the official website for the bringing of relics nikola2017.ru.

The organizers pay special attention to the fact that there will be no VIP passes for entry to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, either individually or as part of organized groups. Such things, in principle, make worship itself meaningless. The only group of citizens for whom the relevant structures in the Moscow government will provide unhindered passage are citizens with limited mobility. Namely, people with disabilities of the musculoskeletal system with one accompanying person and infants with one accompanying person. All others will stand in the general queue.

The point is for a person to make some, at least a short, pilgrimage to the shrine, spend at least some time, physical strength, and apply some effort in order to worship the holy saint of God. Otherwise there will be no point in this worship.

According to the organizers, from May 21 to July 12, the shrine will be in Moscow, and from July 13 to July 28 in St. Petersburg. On Monday, May 22, access for pilgrims to the relics in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior will be organized from 14:00 to 21:00. In the following days, believers will be able to worship the shrine 12 hours a day - from 8:00 to 21:00. All this time, prayers to the saint will be served in the temple.

On May 21, 2017, on the eve of the celebration of the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra in Lycia to Bar, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' held an all-night vigil and meeting of the relics of the saint in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow.

Your Eminences and Graces! Your Eminence, Archbishop Francesco of Bari! Dear members of the delegation of the Roman Catholic Church, who accompanied the relics of St. Nicholas to the Mother See of Moscow! Dear fathers and brothers and sisters!

Congratulations to all of you on this great event. People tend to apply the epithet “historical” to many events, but time passes, and nothing remains of the so-called historical event - neither consequences, nor human memory. But the event that is now happening before our eyes and with our participation is a truly historical event, full of many meanings. Perhaps we cannot fully perceive all these meanings, but surely this historical event will affect the life of our Fatherland, the life of our people, the life of our Church.

The relics of Saint and Wonderworker Nicholas arrived to us from Bari on the eve of May 22 (May 9, old style), when our Church glorifies the bringing of relics from Myra Lycia, a city in Asia Minor, to the city of Bari. This happened 930 years ago, and at that time both the inhabitants of Myra Lycia and Christians in the East in general mourned that the relics from the city of St. Nicholas floated to the distant West. That is why this day was never celebrated in the East, but surprisingly, starting from the 16th century or perhaps a little earlier, as soon as the first Russian pilgrims began to visit the city of Bari, the holiday of the transfer of relics from Myra Lycia to Bari became one of the most significant in calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church. Why did this happen? But because the religious consciousness of our people accepted a simple historical truth: if the relics had remained in the house of St. Nicholas, in Myra of Lycia, then nothing would have remained of them. The transfer of the relics to the West, to the city of Bari on the Apennine Peninsula, was perceived by the Russian people as a manifestation of God's providence. It was from those times that more and more Russian pilgrims, overcoming a huge distance for that time, came to Bari to venerate the myrrh-streaming remains of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. And this happened because, from the point of view of popular veneration, the saint and wonderworker Nicholas was and remains the first saint in Rus'. In almost all the homes of Orthodox people, both in the past and today, there are certainly three icons - the Savior, the Mother of God and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

What is the basis for such veneration of St. Nicholas among our people? Any religious veneration is associated with a very important phenomenon - with the answer that a believer receives when turning to heaven. In the consciousness of our people, in their historical memory, many miracles and wondrous deeds are imprinted, which were performed in personal and public life thanks to the prayers of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. That is why the Russian flock is a flock filled with great love for St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. That is why in our minds he is perceived as a Russian saint, although he has never been to Rus' and is in no way connected with our country either by nationality or culture. But he is perceived by us as a Russian saint because he went through the most difficult, bloody history of our people with us. Perhaps, in the most difficult moments of this history, our prayer to St. Nicholas was especially strong, so that with the answer to this prayer we associate the deliverance of our Fatherland from many, many historical catastrophes. We believe that today the saint and wonderworker Nicholas is with us, and, despite the most severe persecutions of the twentieth century, fervent prayers are again offered to him on Russian soil. And those who have the opportunity strive to visit the city of Bari to pray at the tomb of St. Nicholas. But this is only a small part of those who have such a dream, and therefore in our believing people there has always been a glimmer of hope that the moment will come when it will be possible to venerate the holy myrrh-streaming remains here, on Russian soil, so that the flock who loves St. Nicholas can kneel before him and offer your prayer.

Due to many circumstances, this event could not have happened earlier than the time it did. We believe that the Lord shows us signs of His presence, His mercy, His grace in a visible way when people who turn to Him in prayer most need it. Today we really need the presence of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, so that not only faith is preserved in our people, but so that the great enduring divine truths do not disappear from the life of modern man. Therefore, before the relics of the saint, we will pray not only for ourselves and not only for our countries, united by the Russian Orthodox Church into a single Orthodox family. We will pray for the whole world, so that St. Nicholas may bow to the mercy of God and preserve the faith of Christ in the lives of our contemporaries.

Probably, this wonderful event would never have come true if not for my meeting with His Holiness Francis, the Pope. We met in Havana at a special time when Christians in the Middle East were and, unfortunately, still are going through a very difficult time when attempts are being made to destroy their presence in places with which Christianity has been associated throughout history, where it began. Driven by concern to stop the extermination of Christians in this region, as well as the terrible persecution in other countries, His Holiness Pope Francis and I made a joint decision to meet face to face and call on everyone to pay attention to the tragedy of modern Christianity - and not only in the Middle East, but also in countries that proudly call themselves civilized, but where people renounce the Christian foundations of their culture, their civilization. And the Lord led us to this meeting, during which a decision was made to bring the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker to the Mother See of Moscow and St. Petersburg.

I express my heartfelt gratitude to His Holiness Francis, as well as to everyone who fulfilled the will of their First Hierarch, and first of all to you, Your Eminence Bishop Francesco, Archbishop of Bari. Words of special gratitude to the brothers of the holy monastery, which takes care of the preservation of the relics of St. Nicholas in the city of Bari, to the civil authorities, scientific specialists and everyone who, through their labors, implemented the decision made by the Pope and the Patriarch at the meeting in Havana.

We believe that St. Nicholas, who is revered by both the East and the West, stands in prayer before God for all of us. Today we are still divided, because theological problems that came from antiquity do not give us the opportunity to reunite. Nevertheless, as many holy people saw, if the Lord wants to unite all Christians, then this will happen not through their efforts, not thanks to some church-diplomatic steps, not according to some theological agreements, but only if the Holy Spirit again will unite all who profess the Name of Christ. And we believe that Saint Nicholas, hearing the prayers of Christians of the East and West, stands before the Lord, including asking Him to unite the Churches together.

I would like to express the hope that the presence of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker will help many of our contemporaries to feel his presence in their lives. I especially pray for our youth, who today are under extreme pressure from false and dangerous ideas on an emotional and psychological level. Today we need a special concentration of thought, a special strength of faith, a special strength of Christian convictions in order to preserve ourselves as children of the Church, and for those who are not yet such, to discover the spiritual beauty of the life of the Christian community. And I believe that Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker will help many, many to find their way to God. With his prayers, may the Lord protect our people and our Church, and help Christians of the East and West to overcome difficult historical paths. Amen.

News number one for the residents of Bari: the relics of St. Nicholas have left the city! For the first time in 930 years! There have been more than enough rumors and mystical hints in recent days. After all, this has never happened! The shrine was taken out only once - to a neighboring temple - for the duration of repairs. Just a few years ago it was simply impossible to imagine traveling to Moscow. An event of incredible significance for Orthodox believers took place thanks to the personal meeting of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Kirill and Pope Francis in 2016 in Cuba. For almost a year, in the ancient crypt of the Basilica of St. Nicholas, preparations were made for the bringing of the relics of the Christian saint.

There is a special attitude towards Orthodox Christians in the basilica. Access to the relics is open. Services are permitted in the underground part of the basilica. It is symbolic that while the Catholic padre is reading his sermon above, Orthodox priests are leading a prayer service below. And the whole temple is filled with Old Slavonic prayer. Pilgrims cannot hold back their tears from excess of feelings.

Nicholas the Saint devoted his entire life to Christianity. He was a Greek from Asia Minor who lived in the 3rd century during the Roman Empire. Considered the patron saint of sailors, innocent prisoners and children.

Being from a noble family, Nikolai Ugodnik helped those in need. I tried to do it without anyone knowing. The three bags or three golden balls with which the saint is most often depicted are associated with his first miracle. Nikolai secretly threw gold to his neighbor, who was going to receive income from the beauty of his dowry-less daughters. Of course, for tourists it is just a beautiful legend and souvenir. For those whom the saint helped, it is a symbol of mercy and miracles, which Nikolai Ugodnik still performs.

How his relics ended up in the city of Bari is still the subject of historical research. XI century, 700 years have passed since the death of the saint, the Byzantine Empire is going through difficult times. The Turks are ravaging cities and destroying shrines. The small port of Bari needs a patron and decides to rob. In 1087, the shrine was stolen from Myra Lycia. Now this is the territory of Turkey, the city of Demre.

The remaining parts of the relics were taken by the Venetians. Already in the first days of its stay in Italy, the shrine healed 111 people.

The bringing of the shrine was approached from a scientific point of view. At night, when the temple was closed, experts examined the relics and at the same time decided which particle could be taken. Through a small hole - using an endoscope - filming was carried out right inside the tomb! The bones of a man who died 17 centuries ago turned out to be strong.

No one has ever conducted such research. Catholics and Orthodox worked side by side.

Now this piece is in Russia. Especially for the transfer of the relics, craftsmen from Sofrin, Moscow Region, created an ark decorated with precious stones and an icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

The reliquary, weighing 50 kilograms, was delivered to Bari from Russia by special plane. A safe lock and armored glass guarantee safety. 8 priests from the basilica will accompany the shrine in Russia.

930 years ago, the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker were brought to Bari, Italy by sea. Today, after signing a special act of temporary transfer and accompanied by an escort, the shrine left the city. But already by air, consecrating a path of thousands of kilometers. In the afternoon, the plane landed at Moscow's Vnukovo airport.

The shrine was taken to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and solemnly handed over to Patriarch Kirill. The festive service was also attended by parishioners who had been waiting since the morning for the relics to be brought. And tomorrow hundreds of pilgrims will come to the temple, for whom the opportunity to worship Nicholas the Wonderworker is filled with special meaning.

On May 21, 2017, on the eve of the celebration of the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra in Lycia to Bar (1087), His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' led an all-night vigil and meeting of the relics of the saint in the Cathedral Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow.

All-night vigil on the feast of St. Nicholas. Meeting of the relics of St. Nicholas brought to Russia from the Italian city of Bari All-night vigil on the feast of St. Nicholas. Meeting of the relics of St. Nicholas brought to Russia from the Italian city of Bari
All-night vigil on the feast of St. Nicholas. Meeting of the relics of St. Nicholas brought to Russia from the Italian city of Bari All-night vigil on the feast of St. Nicholas. Meeting of the relics of St. Nicholas brought to Russia from the Italian city of Bari
All-night vigil on the feast of St. Nicholas. Meeting of the relics of St. Nicholas brought to Russia from the Italian city of Bari

Concelebrating with His Holiness were: Patriarchal Vicar of the Moscow Diocese, Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsky and Kolomna; Metropolitan Sergius of Nekres (Georgian Orthodox Church); Council of Hierarchs and Clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church. Among the clergy there were also clergymen from the Church of the Kazan Peschanskaya Icon of the Mother of God in Izmailovo, Archpriest John Ermilov, Archpriest Maxim Sinyuk, Priest Pavel Ogryzkov and Priest John Paskevich.

Present at the service were: Apostolic Nuncio to the Russian Federation, Archbishop Celestino Miglior, and Ordinary of the Catholic Archdiocese of the Mother of God in Moscow, Archbishop Paolo Pezzi.

Before the polyeleos, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, hierarchs and clergy came out through the western gates of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior to meet the ark with part of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. The great shrine was delivered to Moscow on a special flight from the Italian city of Bari.

All church Moscow greeted the relics of the holy saint of God with the ringing of bells from all the capital's churches, which began at 18.00 from the main bell tower of the Russian Orthodox Church - the Ivan the Great Bell Tower in the Moscow Kremlin.

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, hierarchs and clergy descended along the stylobate of the temple to Volkhonka Street. The shrine was taken out of the car that arrived from the airport and placed on a stretcher. His Holiness venerated the venerable relics, after which the ark, accompanied by the singing of the troparion to St. Nicholas, was transferred to the middle of the temple and placed in the prepared place.

After reading the Gospel, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill venerated the relics and addressed those gathered in the church with the Primate’s word:

“I congratulate you all on this great event. People tend to apply the epithet “historical” to many events, but time passes, and nothing remains of the so-called historical event - neither consequences, nor human memory. But the event that is now happening before our eyes and with our participation is a truly historical event, full of many meanings. Perhaps we cannot fully perceive all these meanings, but surely this historical event will affect the life of our Fatherland, the life of our people, the life of our Church.

Participants in the service - clergy and believers - venerated the relics, were anointed with oil and received icons of St. Nicholas with the Patriarchal blessing.

The bringing of the relics of Saint and Wonderworker Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, is a unique event: during the 930 years that the saint’s holy relics have been in Bari, they have never left the city. The agreement on the bringing of the relics, which will remain in Russia from May 21 to July 28 of this year, was reached following the meeting of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' with Pope Francis on February 12, 2016.

The left rib of St. Nicholas is placed in a special ark under armored glass. Thus, for the first time, part of the relics of the most revered Christian saint is put on public display. The relics cannot be seen in Bari, as they are in a walled tomb under a marble slab weighing 32 tons.

The delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church, which delivered the relics of St. Nicholas to Moscow, was headed by the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk. The delegation included the head of the Moscow Patriarchate Office for Foreign Institutions, the administrator of the parishes of the Moscow Patriarchate in Italy, Bishop Anthony of Bogorodsk, clergy and laity.

On the morning of May 21, Metropolitan Hilarion celebrated the Divine Liturgy in Bari, after which the ark with the relics of the saint was delivered to Moscow.

The Italian delegation accompanying the relics of the saint included: Archbishop of Bari Bitonto Monsignor Francesco Cacucci, Deputy Chairman of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity Monsignor Andrea Palmieri, Director of the Diocesan Office for Promoting Christian Unity of the Archdiocese of Bari Bitonto Monsignor Angelo Romita, Rector of the Basilica of St. Nicholas in Bari, priest Ciro Capotosto, employee of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, priest Iakinthos Destivelle, as well as the governor of Apulia Michele Emiliano, the mayor of Bari Antonio de Caro, the director of the department of forensic medicine of the University of Bari, professor Francesco Introna.

From May 22 to July 12, the relics of St. Nicholas will be available for veneration by believers in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. From July 13 to July 28, the relics will be in St. Petersburg.

All this time, the ark with the relics will be guarded by military personnel and employees of the Federal Service of the National Guard of the Russian Federation (Rosguard). Every day, more than a thousand National Guard members will ensure law and order, who, in particular, will provide assistance to pilgrims with small children, people with disabilities and elderly citizens in need of assistance.

Access for pilgrims to the shrine in Moscow will be organized on May 22 from 14.00 to 21.00. From May 23 to July 12, access for pilgrims will be provided daily from 8.00 to 21.00.

Detailed information about the bringing of relics is published on the website: http://nikola2017.ru.

Material and photographs from the site http://www.patriarchia.ru/