Georgian and Ukrainian pilgrims venerate Orthodox shrines in Venice
A pilgrim group from Georgia and Ukraine visited Venice on 24 October 2009. The group from the Georgian sister-Church was led by Bishop Ioann of Tsurtavi. They made a tour of Italy and came to Venice to venerate the Orthodox shrines of the city, the press-service of the Parish of the Myrrh-Bearing Women in Venice has reported. The Ukrainian part of the group included monks and benefactors of the Pochaev Monastery of the Dormition.
The pilgrims were welcomed by the rector of the parish, Rev. Alexiy Yastrebov. Bishop Ioann said a prayer at the Church of St. John the Baptist, in which the relics of St. John the Merciful have been kept since the 13th century. The pilgrims thanked the rector of the church, Father Giovanni Favaretto, for the opportunity to pray at the relics of the saints so much revered in the Orthodox Church.
Then the pilgrims came to the Greek Cathedral of St. George, in which they venerated the right hand of St. Basil the Great and the particle of the relics of the Holy Protomartyr George.
Later that day, they visited St. Mark’s Basilica, in which the relics of St. Mark are kept. They also visited other churches in Venice to lift up prayers at the relics of saints.
In conclusion of their pilgrimage, the Georgian and Ukrainian guests thanked the rector of the Moscow Patriarchate parish in Venice and his Matushka Svetlana, for having arranged their pilgrimage, and invited them to visit shrines in Georgia and Ukraine.
DECR Communication Service