Print This Post


On 23 October 2015, the eve of the commemoration day of the Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of Optina, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia visited the Stavropegic Monastery of the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple, Optina Hermitage.

The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church celebrated the All-Night Vigil at the main church of the monastery, Cathedral of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple. Kept in the cathedral are the holy relics of Ss Ambose and Nectarius of Optina.

Concelebrating with His Holiness were Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate; Metropolitan Kliment of Kaluga and Borovsk, chairman of the Publishig Board of the Russian Orthodox Church; Archbishop Maksimillian of Pesochnya and Yukhnov; Archbishop Feognost of Sergiev Posad, chairman of the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism; Bishop Sergiy of Solnechnogorsk, head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Moscow Patriarchate; Bishop Nikita of Kozelsk and Lyudinovo; Archimandrite Venedikt (Penkov), abbot of the Monastery of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple; Archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov), abbot the Sretensky Stavropegic Moanstery, elected as Bishop of Yegoryevsk; Archimandrite Antony (Sevryuk), elected as Bishop of Bogorodsk; and the ordained brethren of the Optina Hermitage.

Among those who were praying at the service were Mr. A. Avdeyev, Deputy Governor of the Kaluga Region; Mr. N. Lyubimov, Chairman of the Legislative Assembly of the Kaluga Region; and Ms Ye. Slabova, head of the Administration of the Kozelsk Municipal District.

After the service, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church addressed the worshippers with a Primatial homily.

Press Service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia/

DECR Communication Service

Photo by Press Service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia