Saransk, Mordovia, August 6, 2025
Photo: info-rm.com
The relics of St. Theodore Ushakov, the revered 18th-century Russian naval commander, were formally transferred to the cathedral in Saransk named in his honor on Monday, concluding a four-day motor procession commemorating the 280th anniversary of the admiral’s birth.
The pilgrimage procession began August 2 in Moscow at the site of a church under construction dedicated to St. Theodore. Over four days, participants traveled 1,165 miles by motor vehicle, visiting key locations associated with the admiral’s life to transport his relics from Moscow to Saransk, reports TASS.
The reliquary containing the saint’s remains was carried into the cathedral by honorary participants of the procession, including admirals and military commanders who had participated in Admiral Ushakov’s canonization ceremony. The relics were received by Artem Zdunov, head of the Republic of Mordovia, and His Eminence Metropolitan Zinovy of Mordovia and Saransk.
Photo: info-rm.com
“Twenty-one years ago I participated in the canonization of St. Theodore Ushakov,” said Admiral Vladimir Valuev, according to the organizing committee. “Today, through this pilgrimage procession, all the events we conducted, and finally the transfer of the relics to the Cathedral, we want to show our deep respect for the great admiral and commemorate Ushakov’s historic contribution to our Fatherland.”
The transfer ceremony included a festive Hierarchical Liturgy, a religious procession, and a flower-laying ceremony at the Ushakov monument. His Eminence Metropolitan Vikenty of Tashkent and Uzbekistan, Metropolitan Zinovy of Mordovia and Saransk, and other hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church served a moleben.
According to procession organizer Dmitry Shlopak, the pilgrimage connected several significant locations: “In Moscow there was a moleben for warriors, in Yaroslavl a bust of our great naval commander was installed, in Khopylyovo there was a commemorative postal cancellation ceremony, and in Nizhny Novgorod an icon of the holy admiral was transferred. Now the main event of the procession has taken place—the transfer of St. Theodore Ushakov’s relics to the Saransk Cathedral.”
The admiral, born in 1745, is revered as a righteous warrior and is considered the patron saint of the Russian Navy.
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