Ekaterinburg, July 17, 2025
Cross procession
Every year on July 16, the “Royal Days” (Царские дни) begins in the Ural city of Ekaterinburg, Russia—the place where Tsar Nicholas II, along with the rest of the royal family and several faithful servants, met their martyric death. The Royal Family was glorified by the Moscow Patriarchate as Passion Bearers in 2000 and as martyrs by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) in 1981. Whether you consider them Passion Bearers, Martyrs, or both, miraculous help and visitations from the Holy Royal Family have been documented. And in remembrance of, and gratitude for, their sacrifice, tens of thousands of people assemble each year in Ekaterinburg for a cross procession of 21 kilometers on the night of July 16–17. The cross procession began at 2:30 this morning at the Church on the Blood (located over the site of the heinous crime against the Royal Family) and proceeded to the monastery at Ganina Yama, the place where the family’s holy remains were unceremoniously buried by the communist murderers.
Russian news agency Tass has reported that 40,000 people arrived for the procession last night. Pilgrims from all corners of Russia, as well as from Czechia, Uzbekistan, Serbia, and other countries, took part in the 2025 cross procession.
Among them were the Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights of the Russian Federation Maria Lvova-Belova, Doctor of History and representative of the National Institute for Oriental Languages and Cultures Andrey Rachinsky, Professor of Music and President of the Lorenzo Da Ponte Cultural Musical Association Di Vittorio Veneto from Italy, Doctor of Theology and Deputy Director General of the Mikel Rudomino All-Russian State Library for Foreign Literature, and others.
Doctor of Historical Sciences and prolific writer on the Holy Martyrs Pyotr Multatuli said at the assembly: “A colossal turning point in world history occurred here… The Holy Royal Passion-Bearers dedicated their entire lives to Russia… Not only not in Russia, but nowhere in the world is there such a procession, such a peaceful Christian movement.”
Photo: ekaterinburg-eparhia.ru Here is the program from the site of the Ekaterinburg diocese:
Royal Days 2025: Program of the International Festival for July 17
Thursday, July 17:
~02:30—Great Cross Procession
Route:
Church on the Blood → Tsarskaya Street → Tolmacheva Street → Lenin Avenue → Tatishcheva Street → Tokarei Street → Khalturina Street → Tekhnicheskaya Street → Reshetskaya Street → Railway Forest Park → Shuvakish Settlement → Ganina Yama.
Upon arrival: Moleben (prayer service) to the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers. A field kitchen is available.
Church on the Blood
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06:00—Early Divine Liturgy
Lower Church, altar on the site of the martyrdom of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers. -
09:00—Late Divine Liturgy
Upper Church.
Monastery in honor of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers at Ganina Yama
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09:00—Divine Liturgy
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17:00—Vigil (Vespers and Matins)
At the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh within the monastery.
Holy Trinity Cathedral (Alapaevsk, 19 Tchaikovsky Street)
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17:00—Vigil
Tchaikovsky House Museum
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15:00—Royal Musical Evenings:
Vocal and poetic composition, “Towards Goodness and Light.”
Performers: -
Leading soloists of the Alisher Navoi State Academic Bolshoi Theatre of Uzbekistan
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Laureates of international competitions:
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Anzhelika Mukhametzyanova (soprano)
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Anastasia Yudina (mezzo-soprano)
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Bekzod Sadykov (tenor)
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Musical director: Lyudmila Slonim (piano)
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Composition author and narrator: Andrey Slonim, People’s Artist of Uzbekistan, stage director at the Alisher Navoi Theatre.
“Royal” Cultural and Educational Center
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16:00—Royal Musical Evenings:
Concert “From Earth to Heaven.”
Performers: -
Priest Petr Muratov (viola)
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Olga Chugaeva (piano)
Entry by voluntary donation. -
19:00—Royal Gatherings:
Vladimir Anatolyevich Glazunov, Russian TV host, producer, and director, Member of the Union of Journalists of Russia, professor at Moscow State University’s Higher School of Television (Moscow).
Performance of the poetic play “Immersion.”
Entry by invitation.
Last year, around 40,000 people participated in the Royal Days cross procession. In 2015 (before the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian special military operation in Ukraine), as many as 60,000 people participated from all over the world.
