The newly cast bells will be lifted to the highest belfry in Russia in the Laura of the Holy Trinity and St.Sergius on 4 September 2002

THE NEWLY CAST BELLS WILL BE LIFTED TO THE HIGHEST BELFRY IN RUSSIA IN THE LAURA OF THE HOLY TRINITY AND ST.SERGIUS ON 4 SEPTEMBER 2002

His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia will celebrate a solemn prayer service in the Laura of the Holy Trinity and St.Sergius on 4 September 2002 before two superheavy bells, which were cast for the Laura’s belfry and blessed on July 18, will be lifted up to the belfry.

In 1930 when the Church was subject to atheistic persecution, the bells of the Laura were thrown down and later destroyed, among which were the ‘Boris Godunov’ and ‘Kornoukhiy’ bells and the ‘Tzar’ bell, the biggest one of ever sounding in Russia – 65 tons.

In the very beginning of the new century His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia gave his blessing to the brethren of the monastery to begin the reconstruction of the unique belfry of the Laura of the Holy Trinity and St.Sergius. The work has been done with the aim to preserve the national religious property embodied in the art of bell casting of Holy Russia for the posterity.

Two bells, ‘Pervenets’ (27 tons) and ‘Blagovestnik’ (35,5 tons) were cast at the AMO ZIL plant in Moscow in May and June 2002. On 18 July 2002, the commemoration day of St.Sergius of Radonezh, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, who by tradition is the holy archimandrite of the Laura of the Holy Trinity and St.Sergius, blessed the bells.

Among those invited to the solemn lifting of the bells are the fist persons of the Russian state and the government of Russia, leaders of Moscow and the Moscow region, representatives of public circles and the benefactors, who took an active part in implementing the project of the rebirth of the Laura’s bells.

A press conference for the representatives of mass media will be held in the assembly hall of the Moscow Theological Academy after the prayer service and the lifting of the bells. The staying of the accredited journalists in the Laura will end with a festal meal.

For accreditation please apply to the Patriarchal Architectural and Restoration Center in the Laura of the Holy Trinity and St.Sergius.

Telephone/fax: 721-2689; 8(254) 4-5392.

Registration of mass media representatives going to the Laura on September 4 is obligatory. It will be held from 10.00 a.m. in the conference room in the building of the Pilgrims’ Center.

The Patriarch and the guests will arrive in the Laura at 01.00 p.m. and the prayer service will begin 10 minutes later.

Information service of the Laura of the Holy Trinity and St.Sergius