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On 26 July 2015, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia attended the 4th Interregional Festival of Slavic Art “Russian Field,” organized at the Tsaritsyno Palace and Park Ensemble in Moscow.

This year the Festival is dedicated to the millennium of the demise of the Holy Prince Vladimir, Equal-to-the-Apostles.

In Tsaritsyno, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church was met by the Mayor of Moscow, Mr. Sergei Sobyanin.

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and Mr. Sobyanin proceeded to the wooden Church of St Vladimir, built in one day. The tradition of church architecture, including that of building churches in a day by a whole community dates back to the times of the Baptizer of Russia.

The church in Tsaritsyno, which was constructed to imitate the Church of the Holy Trinity built ten years ago in Antarctica, will be granted to the city of Sevastopol. It was in the ancient Chersonese (the territory of today’s Sevastopol) that Prince Vladimir received baptism.

Hymns of praise to the Holy Prince Vladimir, Equal-to-the-Apostles, were sung. After that His Holiness Patriarch Kirill sprinkled the church with holy water.

Praying at the service was an assembly of hierarchs and clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as members of the delegations of the Local Orthodox Churches, who had arrived in Moscow to attend the celebrations marking the millennium of the demise of the Holy Grand Prince Vladimir, Equal-to-the-Apostles:

  • Representing the Orthodox Church of Constantinople were Metropolitan Apostolos of Milet; Metropolitan Amfilochios of Adrianople, representative of the Patriarch of Constantinople in Athens; and Archimandrite Vissarion (Komzias);
  • Representing the Orthodox Church of Alexandria were Metropolitan Athanasios of Kyrene, representative of the Patriarch of Alexandria to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia; Metropolitan Nikodemos of Memphis; and Archimandrite Michel (Zaki);
  • Representing the Orthodox Church of Antioch were Metropolitan Niphon of Philippopolis, representative of the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia; Bishop Constantine of Zabadani; Arhimandrite Yacoub (Khoury); and Archpriest Paul Mourad;
  • Representing the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem were Metropolitan Timotheos of Bostra; Archimandrite Stefanos (Dispirakis), representative of the Patriarch of Antioch to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia; and Mr. Tamasios Andreas;
  • Representing the Georgian Orthodox Church were Bishop Vakhtang (Liparteliani) of Nikortsminda, and Hegumen Mirian (Shengeliya);
  • Representing the Serbian Orthodox Church was Bishop Antonije of Moravica;
  • Representing the Bulgarian Orthodox Church were Metropolitan Dometian of Vidin; Archimandrite Feoktist (Dimitrov), representative of the Patriarch of Bulgaria to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia; and Archimandrite Anfim (Manoilov);
  • Representing the Orthodox Church of Cyprus were Bishop Nektarios of Arsinoë; Archimandrite Stylian (Stylianou); and Mr. Michael Spyrou;
  • Representing the Orthodox Church of Greece are Metropolitan Amvrosios of Kalavryta; Archimandrite Ieronymos (Nikolopoulos), secretary of the Synod of the Church of Greece; Archimandrite Ioakimos (Venianakis); and Archimandrite Ieronymos (Karmas);
  • Representing the Albanian orthodox Church are Bishop Naphanael of Amantia and Rev. Grigorios Pelushi;
  • Representing the Polish Orthodox Church were Bishop George of Siemiatycze; Archpriest Michal Dudicz; and Priest Lukasz Godun;
  • Representing the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia were Archbishop Juraj of Michalovce and Košice; Archimandrite Seraphim (Shemyatovsky), representative of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia; Archpriest Milan Gerka, secretary of the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia; and Hierodeacon Alexander (Haluska);
  • Representing the Orthodox Church in America were Archbishop Irénée of Ottawa and Canada; Archimandrite Alexander (Pihach), representative of the Orthodox Church in America to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia; Archpriest Nazar Polataiko; and Deacon Nicolas Svetlovsky.

The Japanese Autonomous Orthodox Church was represented by Archbishop Seraphim of Sendai, administrator of the diocese of Eastern Japan, and Archpriest John (Nagaya), a cleric of the Metochion of the Russian Orthodox Church in Tokyo.

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and Mr. Sobyanin addressed the participants and organizers of the “Russian Field” Festival with words of greeting during the opening ceremony.

A concert “Vladimir. The Birth of Civilization” followed.

Press Service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia

DECR Communication Service