Moscow, September 7, 2026
About 100,000 people participated in this year’s All-Moscow procession held on the feast of All Saints of Moscow.
The procession from Christ the Savior Cathedral to Novodevichy Convent was led by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia after he celebrated the Divine Liturgy in cathedral. The procession was blessed with the presence of the revered Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God, the reliquary with the newly discovered relics of St. Dmitry Donskoy, and the icon of All Saints of Moscow, reports RIA-Novosti.
The historical roots of the procession date back to 1525, when the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God was ceremonially transferred from the Annunciation Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin to the Novodevichy Convent. That original procession was led by Grand Duke Vasily III and Metropolitan Daniel, establishing an annual tradition that continued for four centuries.
The procession was held for the first time in modern history last year, with about 400,000 people participating.
At the end of the prayer walk, Patriarch Kirill and other hierarchs and clergy served a moleben to the Mother of God and St. Dmitry Donskoy. His Holiness addressed the faithful about the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God, noting that its presence was especially meaningful given his own 25 years as a bishop tied to Smolensk. He recalled those as hard years for the Church there, but said new churches still opened and “the river of believers” to the icon never stopped, pointing to its historic ties to Russia.
The Patriarch asked the Mother of God to extend her protection over Russia, pointing to the thousands of people of all ages still holding onto their faith as a sign of God’s mercy on a nation that endured persecution under atheist rule.
The Russian primate closed by asking that the icon’s protection remain over Russia, Moscow, and Smolensk, strengthening the faith of the young especially, and asked God to preserve the country, the Church, and the people in Orthodox faith and love for one another.
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