A particle of the Live-Giving Cross brought to Moscow from Greece

The shrine was brought from the Greek Sagmato Monastery near Thebes in Greece on September 19, 2005, upon the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia. This city has been known from antiquity. In the Middle Ages, it was the capital of Greece and a center of Orthodox monasticism. St. Luke the Evangelist was buried there.

St. Clement pursued monastic life in the hills near Thebes in the 11^th century. His fame as ascetic and miracle-worker reached Constantinople. Emperor Alexis Comninus ordered a monastery to be built at the height of 750 meters in the hills and donated several shrines to it. The most important among them was a particle of the Holy Life-Giving Cross, which is believed to be the largest in the world. The shrine for the particle was produced later, but a part of the original 11^th century shrine has survived inside it. Next year will mark the 900^th anniversary of the shrine’s residing in the Sagmato Monastery.

The shrine was taken out of Greece for the first time 3 years ago when it was brought to the Crimea and then to the Kiev Monastery of the Caves. Next year, the particle of the Life-Giving Cross will be brought for veneration to eastern Ukraine and Siberia. Last year the shrine visited Odessa, Tobolsk, Tyumen, Khanty-Mansijsk, Nefteyugansk and other cities in Russia.

On its way to Moscow the shrine was accompanied by Archimandrite Nektarios (Poulos). Father Nekterios expressed hope that the visit of the Live-Giving Cross’s particle to Moscow would help make relations between the Orthodox peoples of Russia and Greece ever more close as a symbol of love and unity.

The shrine was brought from Domodedovo airport to the Convent of the Elevation of the Cross at the village of Lukino near Domodedovo. It was welcomed at the convent gates by Archbishop Arseny of Istra, vicar of the Moscow Diocese, and brought in a procession with the cross to the convent’s church. Here Archbishop Arseny celebrated All-Night Vigil. Among the worshippers were the mother superior, Sister Yekaterina (Chaikina), nuns and numerous pilgrims.

The clergy and the religious in Moscow will pray and read akathistos before the shrine till September 24. Then it will be brought to the Convent of the Nativity of the Mother of God in Moscow. On September 25, Patriarch Alexy II will celebrate the Divine Liturgy before it. In the following days, the shrine will visit various churches in the Russian capital city.