Usovo, Russia, September 29, 2021
Photo: rg.ru
Every year since 2011, a procession has been held in the Moscow region in honor of St. Elizabeth the Grand Duchess and New Martyr on the Sunday closest to her name’s day—the feast of the holy Prophet Zachariah and the Righteous Elizabeth, the parents of St. John the Forerunner on September 5/18.
It is the only procession in Russia that includes crossing a river on a pontoon bridge and rafts.
This year’s procession was also timed to coincide with two significant dates: the 130th anniversary of the St. Elizabeth’s conversion to Orthodoxy, and the 130th anniversary of the appoint of her husband Grand Duke Sergei as Governor General of Moscow, reports Izvestia.
Photo: rg.ru
It was a difficult decision for St. Elizabeth to convert, explained Anna Gromova, assistant to the rector of the Church of Christ the Savior in the village of Usovo, because the Protestant faith of her family was known throughout the world, and the family even traced to Elizabeth of Thuringia, a Catholic saint who was greatly venerated in the family for her faith and good deeds.
Gromova also emphasized that St. Elizabeth’s conversion was completely voluntary, and was not required by her marriage to the Grand Duke. But when she got acquainted with the faith, “she saw in Orthodoxy the shortest path to salvation,” Gromova noted.
The procession takes a unique route, uniting the ancient villages of the imperial estates of Ilinskoe and Usovo, where St. Elizabeth lived with her husband, including a ferry trip across the Moscow River. An Akathist to St. Elizabeth and various other prayers are read throughout the holy march, together with the reading of the Gospel.
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