Elizabethan procession: for the first time since the revolution. 6th Elizabethan Procession 6th Elizabethan Procession

11.07.2020

MOSCOW, September 15 - RIA Novosti. The sixth Elizabethan procession, dedicated to the memory of the Holy Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, will be held on September 17 in the Moscow region and will be timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of tragic events in Russia and on the day of the name day of the Grand Duchess, the organizers told RIA Novosti on Friday.

It is specified that the procession will be held with the blessing of Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna, it was initiated by the Odintsovo deanery and the Elisabeth-Sergius Educational Society (ESPO) foundation, with the participation of the parish of the Savior of the Holy Image in the village of Usovo. It was in the estate of Ilyinskoye-Usovo that the grand ducal couple in the past celebrated the name day of Elizabeth Feodorovna.

Also on September 18, the Russian Orthodox Church commemorates the holy righteous Elizabeth, the heavenly patroness of the Grand Duchess, and on September 17, the 20th anniversary of the transfer of the remains of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, wife of Elizabeth Feodorovna, to the tomb of the Romanov boyars in Novospassky Monastery.

A beautiful route through the places of memory

The organizers call the Elizabethan procession "historic".

"It follows a beautiful route through the territory of the Grand Duke's estate Ilyinskoye-Usovo and unites historical objects, estates, collects big number pilgrims in common prayer, saving and protecting the places of memory of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna," the source said.

In Ilyinsky, the estate of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, who was the governor-general of Moscow in 1891-1905, the couple spent the summer, and in September the whole house, on rafts, crossed the Moscow River to Usovo, where a winter house was built. The participants of the procession, according to the established tradition, also cross the Moskva River in one of the most picturesque places.

Many historical buildings of the estate, associated with the charitable activities of the grand ducal couple, have survived to this day: the buildings of the infirmary for the military Russo-Japanese War, a maternity hospital, a school, a public school of Empress Maria Alexandrovna and others.

Save from destruction

For the past few years, the ESPO Foundation has been conducting scientific and social work to identify and preserve the historical objects of the estate. As RIA Novosti was informed in the ESPO, for last years many objects were saved from destruction, and currently "a lot of work is underway to unite the monuments of the estate (15 objects) into a single historical and cultural ensemble, which will be available to guests and pilgrims."

As the organizers of the procession specified, commemorative events will begin at 9.30 with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy in the Spassky Church in the village of Usovo. At 12.00 the procession will begin its movement from the Church of Elijah the Prophet in Ilyinsky, at 13.00 there will be a crossing across the Moscow River from Ilyinsky to Usovo. The procession will end with a common prayer to the Martyr Elizabeth Feodorovna at the Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands in the village of Usovo. After the prayer service for guests will work field kitchen.

In addition, in the Orthodox educational center "Usovo-Spasskoye" pilgrims will be able to visit the exhibition "The Imperial Estate of Ilyinskoye-Usovo", prepared by the ESPO. The Sixth Elizabethan Cross Procession is part of the program to perpetuate the memory of the New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Church and prepare the 100th anniversary of their memory.

Benefactor and ascetic

The Grand Duchess of the reigning house of the Romanovs, chairman of the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society (IOPS) and founder of the Martha and Mary Convent of Mercy in Moscow, Elizaveta Feodorovna became one of the most famous philanthropists of her time. She led an ascetic life: at night she looked after the seriously ill, worked during the day, went around the poorest neighborhoods, she herself visited Khitrov market - the most criminogenic place in Moscow at that time, rescuing young children from there.

Elizaveta Feodorovna was arrested by security officers and Latvian riflemen on the personal order of Felix Dzerzhinsky. Patriarch Tikhon tried to obtain her release, but in vain - she was taken into custody and deported from Moscow to Perm. On the night of July 5, 1918, the Grand Duchess was killed - she was thrown alive into the Novaya Selimskaya mine, 18 kilometers from the Urals Alapaevsk. Her remains are retreating white army taken to Beijing, and then to Jerusalem, where the princess wanted to be buried.

In 1992, the Bishops' Cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church made her a saint. Earlier, in 1981, the martyr was canonized by the Russian Church Abroad.

On September 17, 2017, with the blessing of Metropolitan Yuvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the tragic events in Russia (1917-2017), the VI Elisabethinsky Procession dedicated to the memory of the Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna. It was initiated by the Odintsovo deanery and the Elisabeth-Sergius Educational Society Foundation with the participation of the parish of the Savior of the Holy Image in the village of Usovo.

As you know, on September 18, the Russian Orthodox Church commemorates the holy righteous Elizabeth, the heavenly patroness of the Grand Duchess. And on September 17, the 20th anniversary of the transfer of the remains of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich to the tomb of the Romanov boyars in the Novospassky Monastery was celebrated. It was on September 18, 1884, that Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna Romanova first attended a liturgy in the church of Elijah the Prophet in Ilyinsky, the estate near Moscow of her husband, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich (Governor-General of Moscow in 1891-1905). In Ilyinsky, the couple spent the summer, and by autumn, solemnly, swimming across the Moscow River on rafts, they moved to Usovo, where there was a solid winter home. Thus, the place and time of this prayer procession were not chosen by chance.

It was along this historical route, from Ilyinsky to Usov, that the Elisabeth Cross Procession took place. The natural landscape and many historical buildings of the estate associated with the charitable activities of the Grand Duchess have survived to this day.

Crusaders, and there were a record number of them - about a thousand people, after the Liturgy, to the sound of bells, they went past the building of the Maternity Hospital, built in 1892 by Grand Duke Sergius Alexandrovich, an infirmary, opened Grand Duchess and in 1905 for the wounded soldiers of the Russo-Japanese and World War I. Then they went down to the Moscow River and crossed on five rafts to the other side.

When we got to the other side, we went to Usovo, past the school building, built in 1873 by the mother of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, Empress Maria Alexandrovna. Ilyinskoye and Usovo were bought by Alexander II for Maria Alexandrovna, and then inherited by Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich. After his marriage to Princess Elizabeth of Hesse-Darmstadt and his appointment as Governor-General of Moscow, the estate was the country residence of the grand ducal couple for two decades. An atmosphere of cloudless happiness reigned here until the death of Grand Duke Sergius Alexandrovich from the Kalyaev bomb and the decision of Elizabeth Feodorovna to abandon outside world, devote yourself to the cause of mercy. She carried this ministry through her whole life, all the way to Alapaevsk, where in 1918 she was tortured and thrown into a mine by the Chekists.

The procession ended with a prayer service in the new white-stone Church of the Savior. This temple stands on the ancient road from Zvenigorod to Moscow, it was along this road that the father of Mikhail Romanov, His Grace Philaret, Metropolitan of Rostov and Yaroslavl, returned from Polish captivity. The temple has a chapel in the name of the Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna and in the name of the clergyman Sergei Makhaev, who was repressed and shot at the Butovo training ground in 1937.

MOSCOW, September 15 - RIA Novosti. The sixth Elizabethan procession, dedicated to the memory of the Holy Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, will be held on September 17 in the Moscow region and will be timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the tragic events in Russia and the Grand Duchess's name day, organizers told RIA Novosti on Friday.

Also on September 18, the Russian Orthodox Church commemorates the holy righteous Elizabeth, the heavenly patroness of the Grand Duchess, and on September 17, the 20th anniversary of the transfer of the remains of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, the wife of Elizabeth Feodorovna, to the tomb of the Romanov boyars in the Novospassky Monastery will be celebrated.

A beautiful route through the places of memory

The organizers call the Elizabethan procession "historic".

"It follows a beautiful route through the territory of the Grand Duke's estate Ilyinskoye-Usovo and unites historical sites, estates, gathers a large number of pilgrims in common prayer, saving and protecting the places of memory of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna," the agency's interlocutor said.

Many historical buildings of the estate associated with the charitable activities of the grand ducal couple have survived to this day: the buildings of the infirmary for the Russian-Japanese war, the maternity hospital, the school, the public school of Empress Maria Alexandrovna and others.

Save from destruction

For the past few years, the ESPO Foundation has been conducting scientific and social work to identify and preserve the historical objects of the estate. As RIA Novosti was told in the ESPO, in recent years many objects have been saved from destruction, and now "a lot of work is underway to combine the monuments of the estate (15 objects) into a single historical and cultural ensemble that will be available to guests and pilgrims."

Benefactor and ascetic

Elizaveta Feodorovna was arrested by security officers and Latvian riflemen on the personal order of Felix Dzerzhinsky. Patriarch Tikhon tried to obtain her release, but in vain - she was taken into custody and deported from Moscow to Perm. On the night of July 5, 1918, the Grand Duchess was killed - she was thrown alive into the Novaya Selimskaya mine, 18 kilometers from the Urals Alapaevsk. The retreating White Army took her remains to Beijing, and then to Jerusalem, where the princess wished to be buried.

In 1992, the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church canonized her as a saint. Earlier, in 1981, the martyr was canonized by the Russian Church Abroad.

On Sunday, in the villages of Ilinskoye and Usovo near Moscow, the seventh Elisavetinsk procession was held, dedicated to the memory of Grand Duchess Elisaveta Feodorovna Romanova (September 18, her name day) and the 100th anniversary of the execution of the royal family and members of the Romanov imperial family in Yekaterinburg and Alapaevsk.

The seventh Elisabeth religious procession was the largest in its history and gathered about three thousand parishioners. Icons of the Savior, Elisaveta Feodorovna, the Romanov royal family, the holy martyr Sergius Makhaev, who was shot at the Butovo firing range, led the procession. They immediately carried a marching belfry and the bell ringing sanctified the district. Traffic along the highway was blocked, but the drivers, apparently accustomed to its limitation in these places, patiently waited, making the sign of the cross.

... Ilyinsky inherited from the mother-Empress Maria Alexandrovna Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, Governor-General of Moscow (1891-1905). Together with his wife Grand Duchess Elisaveta Feodorovna, nee Princess of Hesse-Darmstadt, Sergei Alexandrovich spent the summer here, and in September, "the whole house" on rafts crossed the Moscow River from Ilyinsky to Usovo to the winter residence. The Elizabethan procession took place along such a memorable route, illuminating and protecting memorable places.

The procession gathered many sister parishes - these are girls who decided to devote their lives to the ideals of holiness. Elisaveta Feodorovna created a special women's movement of mercy. After the death of her husband from the bomb of Kalyaev in 1905, she could become the second lady of the state, but not only did she give everything she had to the wounded of the First World War, she herself went to serve as a sister of mercy. She carried this ministry throughout her life, and in Alapaevsk in 1918 the Bolsheviks threw her and her family into a mine. From where her ashes were taken by the White Army to Jerusalem, where they were buried in 1921 under the church of Mary Magdalene in Gethsemane, which they visited with her husband, being the first chairmen of the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society, thanks to which Russia established itself in the Holy Land.

In 1981, the royal family was martyred by the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, and in 2000, at the Bishops' Council, it was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church as " royal martyrs". Elisaveta Fedorovna looks at us not only from the iconostases of the Russian Orthodox Church, but also from the portal of Westminster Cathedral in London, where her statue stands among the nine saints canonized by the Anglican Church.

... The crusaders went past the building of the Maternity Hospital, built in 1892 by the Grand Duke, past the infirmary, opened by the Grand Duchess in 1905 for the wounded soldiers of the Russian-Japanese and World War I, went down to the Moscow River and walked along the coast for another kilometer. Here, drizzling rain poured down like a bucket in the morning, and raincoats were very useful, which were distributed to the crusaders by volunteers.

Then the pilgrims stopped near the crossing: in this place the grand ducal family moved to Usovo on rafts. Since a record number of pilgrims gathered this year, the organizers also built a pontoon bridge, along which a long procession quickly moved to the Usov shore. The crossing was organized clearly and thoughtfully. The sky was reflected in the water. The faces of the people shone, as if after washing, and everyone felt their involvement in a great common cause.

I came to the procession because of a sense of duty, - said Ekaterina Balashova, - to pray for the unity of Orthodoxy. It would seem that in the year of the centenary of the tragedy of the royal family, we should be united, but abuse is at the threshold. I was saddened by the break in relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and Constantinople. And despite the bad weather, I did not stay at home. Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna has added two prayers for unity to the Liturgy. Orthodoxy will remain in Russia - Orthodoxy will remain on earth.

Since 2017, the villages of Ilyinskoye and Usovo have become part of the unique national project "Imperial Route", developed by the Elisabeth-Sergius Educational Society (ESPO) Foundation for Promoting the Revival of the Traditions of Mercy and Charity, - said Anna Gromova, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the ESPO Foundation. - The Seventh Procession of the Cross we are completing commemorative events for the 100th anniversary of martyrdom royal family and Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna. The procession was attended by representatives of 56 dioceses, as well as delegations from Jerusalem and Brazil. The first stage of the project has already been implemented - a route has been created to the places of exile and death of representatives of the Imperial House of the Romanovs in Moscow, St. Petersburg, the Sverdlovsk, Tyumen, Pskov, Kirov regions and the Perm Territory. Museums of memory have opened in Tobolsk and Alapaevsk.

Currently, the ESPO Foundation is working to create a tourist and pilgrimage cluster "Ilyinskoye-Usovo" - after all, seven historical buildings, which will be larger than Jerusalem. In the spring of 2019, the opening of the first museum is planned.

... After two and a half hours, having overcome more than six kilometers, the procession crossed the Rublyovskoye highway, and, to the festive bell ringing, reached the Spassky Church of the Image Not Made by Hands in Usovo. This modern temple was built by the architect Vyacheslav Izhikov under the patronage of Vladimir Putin. And this is not just a temple - it is a complex of buildings of a cultural and educational center with classrooms, gyms, a library, a museum and even ... a small theater.

After the prayer service, a field kitchen was opened, where one could taste hot buckwheat porridge, a tea buffet with mountain honey from the masters Chernikov and shortbread cookies with monograms "E" and "C".

In the evening, the requiem of Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk was performed in the concert hall "Barvikha Luxury Village" by the Moscow Synodal Choir conducted by the Honored Artist of Russia Alexei Puzakov. The foyer hosted a vernissage of watercolors by the nuns of the Gethsemane monastery of St. Mary Magdalene, and kerchiefs by Nina Ruchkina.

On September 16, the Elizabethan Cross Procession took place from the Church of the Prophet Elijah in Ilyinsky near Moscow to the Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands in the village of Usovo. The annual procession is dedicated to the name day of St. Rev. Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna and is held on the closest to the day of memory of St. Righteous Elizabeth Sunday.

According to tradition, the procession begins from Ilyinsky, where the family estate of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich was located. Here he and Elizaveta Fedorovna were very fond of spending the summer months. On the days of the patronal feasts of the churches of Ilyinsky and Usovo - St. Prophet Elijah (July 20, old style) and the Savior Not Made by Hands (August 16), the grand ducal couple took part in solemn services and religious processions, followed by festivities, a fair and the distribution of gifts.

This year, the tradition was revived by the Odintsovo deanery and the temple of Elijah the Prophet in the village of Ilyinsky, and the organizers were supported by Charitable Foundation"Free business", Elisavetinsko-Sergievsky educational society, administrations of Barvikhinsky and Ilyinsky rural settlements.

After the Divine Liturgy and a prayer service in the Church of Elijah the Prophet, the procession with the icons of St. prmts. Elizabeth Feodorovna with a particle of her relics donated by the monastery of St. equal to ap. Mary Magdalene in Gethsemane, and Smolensk icon Mother of God, which was in the historic Spassky Church until its closure in 1932.

About 300 people took part in the procession. Among them were pupils of the Sunday schools of the Grebnevskaya Church and St. George's Cathedral in Odintsovo, parishioners of Moscow and surrounding churches. The Cossacks kept order. Along the entire route, hanging bells blared loudly, accompanying the procession on portable belfries. The Moscow Synodal Choir sang under the direction of Alexei Puzakov.

When the procession approached the banks of the Moskva River, a surprisingly beautiful and slightly exciting raft crossing began on the other side of the river, towards Usovo. On the first raft, the clergy and the choir read the Akathist to St. prmts. Elizabeth.

On the way, in front of the school in the village of Alexandrovka, founded by Empress Maria Alexandrovna (mother of the Grand Duke), the Gospel was read. At the end of the Elizabethan Cross Procession, a prayer was read to the Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth in the Usovo Spassky Church.

At the end of the procession, a meal was arranged for the participants of the procession to the musical accompaniment of a specially invited brass band of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. Then, in the parish cultural center, the solemn opening of the photo exhibition "Ascension to Holiness", prepared by the Revival Foundation cultural heritage". The exposition presented a unique photo chronicle of the life of Elizabeth Feodorovna and Sergei Alexandrovich - about seventy archival photographs.

Before the start of the procession in Ilyinsky Church, a Divine Liturgy, many participants took communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ

Building before leaving

The procession left Ilyinsky in Usovo

Banners on Rublyovka

Alexey Puzakov regent

Under the protection of the Cossacks, the procession moves along the Rublevsky highway

Crossing the Moscow River

On the main raft, the Moscow Synodal Choir sings an akathist to St. prmch. Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna

The priest of the Church of the Savior in Usovo, Mikhail Goryunov, reads the Akathist to St. prmts. Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna

Crossing the participants of the procession on rafts. MOE insures.

Participants of the procession waiting for the crossing

Those who crossed the Moscow River with prayerful singing are waiting for the rest of the participants in the procession

Altars

Fathers and parishioners

Priests of Ilyinsky, Georgievsky, Grebnevsky and Spassky churches

Priests Mikhail Goryunov and Vladislav Gusar

Reading of the Gospel and blessing with the icon of the Holy Martyrs Elizabeth and Barbara near the school in Alexandrovka, founded by Empress Maria Alexandrovna, mother of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich

mobile belfry

Gold and green

View of the banner-bearers from the bell tower of the Spassky Church in Usovo

Temple of the Image of Christ the Savior Not Made by Hands in Usovo. The old rural temple was restored and now is located on the territory of the presidential residence in Novo-Ogaryovo. A new temple was built in Usovo, or rather a whole complex of buildings, which also includes a clergy house and a cultural and educational center with modern educational facilities, gyms, a library and even a home theater with 120 seats. Archimandrite Zinon (Theodore) took part in the painting of the temple

Blessing by the participant of the procession is taught by the priest Vladislav Husar

Brass Band of the Ministry of Defense

At the photo exhibition "Ascension to Holiness", which presents about 70 original photographs-plots from the life of Elizabeth Feodorovna and Sergei Alexandrovich.

Solemn opening of the photo exhibition "Ascension to Holiness", which presents about 70 original photographs-plots from the life of Elizabeth Feodorovna and Sergei Alexandrovich. From left to right: Priest of St. George's Cathedral Vladislav Gusar, organizer of the photo exhibition and Chairman of the Board of the Fund "Revival of Cultural Heritage" A.N. Panin, Chairman of the Bethlehem branch of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society Daoud Matar

At the opening of the photo exhibition "Ascension to Holiness"

Organizer of the photo exhibition and Chairman of the Board of the Fund "Revival of Cultural Heritage" A.N. Panin conducts a tour of the exhibition

Monument to the Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna on the territory of the Spassky Church and the Usovo-Spasskoye Orthodox Educational Center