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On May 8, the Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women, the honourable head of the Holy Protomartyr Anastasia the Breaker of Chains was brought to Kiev by a delegation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church led by Archbishop Alexander of Pereyaslavl-Khmelnitsky, acting chairman of the Department for External Church Relations. The delegation was accompanied by the abbot of the Monastery of St. Anastasia, Metropolitan Apostolos of Militos.

St. Anastasia’s relics were brought with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and on the request of His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev and All Ukraine.

From Borispol airport the shrine was taken to the Kiev Laura of the Caves. It was met there by His Beatitude Vladimir with an assembly of bishops and clergy.

A thanksgiving was celebrated in front of the Cathedral of the Dormition. Addressing the worshippers, Metropolitan Vladimir reminded them of the feat performed by St. Anastasia and called them to appeal to her intercession in their hard times.

The reliquary with the honourable head of St. Anastasia the Breaker of Chains was first transferred to the laura’s refectory church and then to the church of the Elevation of the Cross where the shrine will stay till May 10.

From May 11-15, the holy relics will be in the church of All Saints at the construction site of the Cathedral of the Resurrection in Kiev.

During the month an opportunity to venerate the shrine will be given to the faithful in 15 cities in Ukraine. St. Anastasia’s relics will also be brought to a number of hospitals and penitentiaries. As Archpriest Nikolay Danilevich, secretary of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s DECR said, the social service of the Church includes as one of its important areas pastoral care of the sick and prisoners, and St. Anastasia is the heavenly patron for both.

St. Anastasia (d. 304) lived in Old Rome. She visited imprisoned Christians who suffered for their faith of Christ, bringing them food and clothes she bought with her own money, healed their wounds and sometimes ransomed them. She won the name of Breaker of Chains, and the Lord glorified her relics with incorruption after her martyrdom. Today the particles of her relics are found in Croatia, Italy, Germany, and Holy Mount Athos. Her honourable head is preserved in the Monastery of St. Anastasia located in mountains near the Greek city of Salonika.

DECR Communication Service

Photos by Ukrainian Orthodox Church press service