On October 13, 2011, a special session was held at Smolny run by M.Oseevskiy, Vice-Governor of St.Petersburg, Head of Governor’s Administration, devoted to the arrangement of sojourn in St Petersburg of the Christian relic – the Belt of Blessed Virgin Mary. The session made the decision related to the measures to support this spiritual mission and inform the citizens of one of the most revered Orthodox shrines.
On October 13, 2011, a special session was held at Smolny run by M.Oseevskiy, Vice-Governor of St.Petersburg, Head of Governor’s Administration, devoted to the arrangement of sojourn in St Petersburg of the Christian relic – the Belt of Blessed Virgin Mary. The session made the decision related to the measures to support this spiritual mission and inform the citizens of one of the most revered Orthodox shrines.
Under the blessing of Bartholomew I, Most Holy Archbishop of Constantinople and New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch, and Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and the whole Russia, St.Andrew Foundation and the Center of National Glory developed a program of the sojourn of the Venerable Belt of the Virgin in 13 cities of Russia. St.Petersburg had the honor to receive the relic on its grounds first. The Belt of Blessed Virgin Mary will be delivered to St Petersburg from Mount Athos (Vatopedskiy Monastery) on October 20.
The interest of different Christian churches of our city in the ancient Christian memento and relic is enormous. The sojourn of the Belt of the Virgin in St.Petersburg will serve to further develop the mutual understanding of Christian confessions.
On October 20 through 24, the miracle-making relic will be installed in the middle of the Orthodox Church of the Kazan Mother of God at the Resurrection Novodevichiy Convent (100 Moskovskiy Ave.) and opened for the worship of believers from 6:00 till 22:00.
For further information, contact Vladimir Georgievich Ivanov, St.Petersburg Committee for External Relations, tel. 272-0652.
News source: St.Petersburg Committee for External Relations