Sarov, August 5, 2019
Photo: patriarchia.ru
St. Seraphim of Sarov is one of the most beloved saints of not only the Russian Church, but the entire Orthodox Church. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia traveled to the Sarov and Diveyevo Monasteries for the celebration of the feast of the uncovering of the great saint’s relics (August 1) this year, which was augmented by the spiritual joy of the consecration of a new place of worship.
Photo: patriarchia.ru
His Holiness arrived to the Nizhny Novgorod Metropolis on the eve of the feast, accompanied by a number of other hierarchs and clergy, and was greeted at the holy gates of the Holy Dormition-Sarov Monastery by His Eminence Metropolitan George of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas, the abbot and brotherhood of the monastery, local metropolitan clergy, and a number of local officials, reports Patriarchia.ru.
Photo: patriarchia.ru
Pat. Kirill then proceeded to celebrate the Great Consecration of the Holy Dormition Cathedral of the Sarov Hermitage, followed by the first Divine Liturgy on the newly-consecrated altar, concelebrated by 14 other hierarchs and a number of local clergy.
A Church of the Holy Dormition was built on the same spot in 1744, remaining until 1951, when it was blown up by the godless soviets. The monastery had been closed in 1925 and the monks faced persecution from the Bolsheviks, many being executed. During World War 2, the monastery buildings were used as factories for producing BM-13 “Katyusha” rocket launchers. As the cathedral began to deteriorate, the soviets blew it up, claiming it was in danger of collapsing from the explosions conducted at the production sites of the nuclear center that had been established.
Photo: patriarchia.ru
Sarov became a major nuclear center for the Soviet Union and was closed off and removed from all unclassified maps. The rebuilding of the cathedral began in the spring of 2016, and Pat. Kirill consecrated the foundation stone on August 1 that year. The return of the holy site’s true purpose of glorifying God culminated in today’s consecration.
Photo: patriarchia.ru
During the Liturgy in Sarov, petitions were read for the unity of the Orthodox Church and the preservation of the Church from divisions and schisms, and for peace in Ukraine.
Photo: patriarchia.ru
At the end of the service, Met. George of Nizhny Novgorod presented Pat. Kirill with a cross from the Sarov Hermitage made in the first third of the 18th century and containing 73 relics, as well as an icon of the appearance of the Mother of God to St. Seraphim.
His Holiness then offered a primatial word, calling on all present to carry the life of the monastery beyond its walls, under the cover of the Most Holy Theotokos.
Photo: patriarchia.ru
Pat. Kirill then celebrated the Divine Liturgy the next day for the feast of St. Seraphim at the St. Seraphim-Diveyevo Monastery, where the beloved saint’s relics lie.
