Jerusalem, April 28, 2025
Photo: rusdm.ru
Hierarchs of the Jerusalem and Bulgarian Patriarchates joined clerics of the Russian Orthodox Church’s Spiritual Mission in Jerusalem for the annual celebration of the Meeting of the Most Holy Theotokos with Righteous Elizabeth and the transfer of a venerated icon of the Annunciation during Bright Week.
On Bright Thursday, April 24, His Eminence Metropolitan Theophanes of Gerasa of the Jerusalem Patriarchate led a festive moleben in the Russian Spiritual Mission’s Holy Trinity Cathedral with Russian and Jerusalem clergy. The service was celebrated in Church Slavonic and Greek. The hierarch then led the procession transferring the Annunciation Icon from the cathedral to the Gorny Convent in the Ein Karem neighborhood of Jerusalem, the Spiritual Mission reports.
Abp. Theophanes of Gerasa. Photo: rusdm.ru
The procession was met near the convent’s Spring of the Most Holy Theotokos by Abbess Ekaterina and the sisterhood and clergy. From there the procession continued to the monastery’s Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, and where Abp. Theophanes and the other clergy venerated the Annunciation icon.
Then the All-Night Vigil was celebrated in the Kazan Church by visiting hierarchs of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church—His Eminence Metropolitan Gabriel of Lovech and His Grace Bishop Michael of Constantia—and clergy of the Russian Spiritual Mission.
Met. Gabriel of Lovech. Photo: rusdm.ru
The service was celebrated according to the Paschal rite. During the litia, the clergy, sisters, and pilgrims processed around the Kazan Church.
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Met. Gabriel and Bp. Michael of Constantia. Photo: rusdm.ru
The annual celebration of the Meeting of the Most Holy Theotokos with Righteous Elizabeth and the transfer of the venerated icon of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos shortly after the celebration of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos is a special liturgical tradition established in the 19th century by the former head of the Russian Spiritual Mission, Archimandrite Antonin (Kapustin). It represents the journey into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah (Lk. 1:39), which the Most Pure Virgin undertook to visit the righteous Elizabeth, the mother of St. John the Forerunner, and to share with her the joy of the imminent birth of the Savior of the world.
The icon of the Annunciation is placed on the central analogion in the Kazan Church, and next to it is placed the abbess’ staff. According to tradition, during the days when the icon is in the Gorny Convent, the Most Pure Theotokos is the Abbess there.
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