St. Petersburg, September 6, 2014
On September 12, the day of celebration of the 290th anniversary of the Translation of Relics of Holy Right-Believing Prince Alexander Nevsky, a procession of the cross along the Nevsky Prospect will be held in St. Petersburg. The prayer procession from the Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God to the St. Alexander Nevsky Lavra will gather at least 100,000 participants, reports the St. Petersburg Metropolia’s website.
This event will take place for the second time. The first cross procession after an interruption of nearly 90 years was arranged last year and was dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the oldest monastery in the city. It has revived the old tradition of the city on the Neva.
The procession of the column will begin at 11.00.
After Divine Liturgy the shrine with relics of the Russian northern capital’s patron-saint will be carried away from the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the St. Alexander Nevsky Lavra as part of the cross procession.
“A cross procession is not a rally. This is, first of all, something that is done with prayer. This cross procession is unique because it is held in the name of St. Alexander Nevsky. There are people whose names have entered the history of our motherland forever and they unite us. And this integrity is truly necessary for us,” stressed Archbishop Ambrose of Petergof at the press conference, dedicated to the event.
The Relics of St. Alexander Nevsky were translated to St. Petersburg by order of Emperor Peter I “the Great” in 1724. The emperor took part in this event himself. His daughter, empress Elizabeth Petrovna (ruled from 1741 till 1761), made this day a national holiday. This date became a holiday for all St. Petersburg residents.
