Ekaterinburg, June 24, 2020
Photo: TASS
Preparations are underway in the Ekaterinburg Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church for the annual Royal Days celebrations in honor of the holy Royal Martyrs, who were brutally murdered in Ekaterinburg on the night of July 16-17, 1918.
Tens of thousands of Orthodox faithful flock to Ekaterinburg every year to show their love and devotion to the Royal Martyrs, with celebrations culminating with the nighttime Liturgy in the Church on the Blood, built on the site of the Ipatiev House where Tsar Nicholas and his family were murdered, followed by a cross procession to the Monastery of the Royal Passion-Bearers, built on the site where their holy relics were discarded.
As His Eminence Metropolitan Kirill of Ekaterinburg announced on Sunday in the Cathedral of All Saints of Russian-Church on the Blood, the diocese intends to hold the Royal Days celebrations and hopes that concerns surrounding the coronavirus will not prevent one of the Russian Church’s largest and most beloved annual celebrations.
More than 100,000 people participated in the Liturgy and procession in 2018, for the 100th anniversary of the Royal Family’s martyrdom.
“The nighttime service and procession … are the culminating events of Royal Days, symbolizing the unity of the Russian people in its understanding of the history of the country, the return of the bright name of the tsar-emperor and his family, and the unification around the Church of Christ and traditional values,” reads the diocesan report.
Speaking to his flock, Met. Kirill urged them “to direct your soul, mind, and heart to meekness and humility and to take an example from the meek, humble Tsar Nicholas and his holy family.”
“We hope that nothing will prevent us from striving to be with the Lord and his martyrs in these days, as we tried and have done in the past,” Met. Kirill said, while noting that all events will be held in compliance with the necessary security measures, to which the faithful have already become accustomed during the quarantine restrictions.
The exact order of events will be announced after July 9.
The diocese also notes that a blessed tradition began in 2018 with 78 nighttime Divine Liturgies being celebrated in the Church on the Blood beginning April 30, thus honoring the 78-day stay of the Royal Family in Ekaterinburg leading up to their martyrdom.
