Moscow will host a children’s Liturgy, headed by Patriarch Kirill
The Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Kirill on Saturday will lead to the Epiphany Cathedral in Yelokhovo, the divine Liturgy, the main participants of which will be children, told RIA Novosti the head of the press service of the Primate of the Russian Church the priest Alexander Volkov.
“To worship is to sing a consolidated children’s choir,” said the priest.
In elohovskom Cathedral, as he said, will gather a few dozen children’s choirs. The choir said the priest will perform all the songs of the Liturgy.
“This is such an unusual, new practices — once a year the Patriarch makes the Liturgy, which is sung only children,” — said the press Secretary of the first Hierarch of the Church.
In Yelokhovsky Cathedral the relics of St. Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow, whom the Church recalls just this day
The great Church figure and statesman, the diplomat, the spiritual father of Grand Prince Dmitry Donskoy, before the 40 years he lived a strict monastic life, and when the blessing of the Patriarch of Constantinople headed the Russian Church, almost a quarter of a century, reconciled princes, and helped create an Alliance of Russian principalities, able to withstand the Golden Horde and Lithuania.
Together with the monk Sergei of Radonezh he did much for the spread of monasticism, which carried with them the education and the churching of Russian lands.
He lived to be 78 years old in addition to old age and contemporaries during the life saw in him an example of fortitude, faith, wisdom and love. Even the Tatar khans asked for his prayers, believing that they can heal at a distance.
After the death on 12 February, 1378 St. Alexius was buried in the founded in the Moscow Kremlin’s Chudov monastery. The relics of Saint Alexis in 1947 during the preparation for the celebration of the 800 anniversary of Moscow at the request of Patriarch Alexy I was moved from the Kremlin in the Yelokhovo Epiphany Cathedral, where they rest today. Saint is the patron Saint of the patriarchs Alexy I and Alexy II, the predecessor of Patriarch Kirill.
Particularly revered in Russia and Georgia icon
On the same day, Orthodox Christians celebrate the feast of the Iveron icon of the mother of God. The ancient icon of the Theotokos “Portaitissa (Vratarnitsa) Iver”, considered miraculous, is in the Iberian monastery on mount Athos, founded by the Georgians in the tenth century.
According to legend, the monks of the monastery saw the icon into the sea, it supported the pillar of fire. Monk of the monastery of St. Gabriel of the Holy mountain heard it in a dream the behest of the virgin to bring the icon to the monastery. He was placed in the Cathedral of the monastery, but the next morning the icon was discovered over the gate of the monastery.
Especially venerated icon in Russia, Georgia and Greece. In the reign of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich (1645-1676) on the advice of Patriarch Nikon, the Russians turned to the monastery with a request to bring the Iveron icon to Moscow. They believed that after this stop the attack on Moscow. The monks of the monastery wrote the copy of the miraculous icon, which, in 1648, solemnly met in Moscow. Later was written, another list of icons installed in the chapel on red square.