Three shrines that had been in Russia before 1917 Revolution are expected to be brought to Moscow in 2006

It is expected that the holy right hand of St.John the Baptist, the famous Philermos Icon of the Mother of God and a particle of the Life-Giving Cross of Christ that had been in Russia before the 1917 Revolution will be brought to Moscow from Monte Negro in July 2006.

President Alexander Melnik of the Board of Trustees of the St.Andrew the-First-Called Foundation and the Centre of Russian national glory reported at the enlarged meeting of these organizations that His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, His Holiness Patriarch Pavle of Serbia and Metropolitan Amphilochius of Monte Negro had granted their consent.

It is planned that the three great Christian shrines will stay in different Russian cities for several months so that many religious believers might worship them.

Originally these shrines were in Rhodos Island and belonged to the Maltese Order. They were transferred to St.Petersburg at the time of the Emperor Pavel I, the Great Master of the Sovereign Hospitalier Order of St. John of Jerusalem (the Maltese Order) and were kept in the Russian Imperial Family till the 1917 Revolution.