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On May 5-6, 2016, the Chinese pilgrims, who are on a pilgrimage to Russia at the invitation of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, visited the Russian Orthodox Church’s Metropolias of Tver and Novgorod.

On May 5, they made a pilgrimage to Tver to visit the Convent of the Nativity of Christ, Cathedral of the Resurrection, St. Alexandre Nevsky’s – the representation of the Staritsky Monastery of the Dormition, and Cathedral of the Ascension to venerate the relics of the Venerable Confessor Archimandrite Seraphim (Srebryansky) and the Holy Martyr Thaddeus, Archbishop of Tver. They were given a warm welcome by Metropolitan Victor of Tver and Kashin at the diocesan administration building.

The Chinese pilgrims were put up for the night at the Valday Monastery of Our Lady of Iveron. After compline, lithium was celebrated, as the pilgrims asked, for the repose of the departed bishops and priests of the Chinese Autonomous Church and the pilgrims’ departed Chinese relatives and friends. Prayers were lifted up for the departed archpastors, pastors and the faithful of the Russian Orthodox Church who had worked hard for the benefit of the Church of Christ in China.

On May 6, the commemoration day of the Holy Martyr and Conqueror George, the descendants of the Chinese Orthodox clergy and young Chinese Orthodox Christians from Beijing and Harbin shared the joy of the Eastertide at the St. George (Yuriev) Monastery in Novgorod. The Divine Liturgy on the occasion of the patron’s day was celebrated by Metropolitan Lev of Novgorod and Staraya Russa, who was assisted by an assembly of bishops and local clergy. After the service, Metropolitan Lev addressed the Chinese pilgrims with words of warm welcome and, after a festive meal, gave his benediction to each member of the pilgrim group and presented them with tokens for prayerful memory of their visit.

The Chinese guests were introduced to the history of the Yuriev Monastery and visited the Novgorod Kremlin and the St. Sophia Cathedral, the oldest church in Russia built by the Slavs.

In the evening the Chinese pilgrims arrived in St. Petersburg and visited the Novodevichy Convent of the Resurrection.

DECR Communication Service

Photos by the Novgorod and Tver Diocesan Press Service