On the night of July 16-17, 2024, the traditional Tsar's procession took place in Yekaterinburg, moving from the Church on the Blood to the Monastery of the Holy Royal Martyrs at Ganina Yama. This year, more than 40,000 believers from different regions of Russia participated, as reported by the Yekaterinburg Diocese's website.

The procession was accompanied by 10 mobile aid groups from the Orthodox Mercy Service and volunteers from the Tsar's Days. Leading the thousands-strong column were Metropolitan Yevgeny of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye, Metropolitan Vincent of Tashkent and Uzbekistan, head of the Central Asian Metropolitan District, and other archpastors.

Before the procession began, a night Divine Liturgy was held on the square near the church, led by 13 bishops of the Orthodox Church. Under the penitential Jesus Prayer, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us!" more than forty thousand believers covered a distance of about 21 kilometers. The participants came from all over the country — from Stavropol to Novosibirsk, from Astrakhan to Arkhangelsk, as well as from near and far abroad.

During the prayer procession, a reliquary containing a piece of the Belt of the Most Holy Theotokos and relics of 14 saints of the Yekaterinburg Metropolis were carried. Among them were the relics of the Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, the Holy Martyr Barbara Yakovleva, the Holy Martyr Basilisk of Siberia, the Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye, and other saints.

The procession concluded with a moleben (prayer service) to the Holy Royal Martyrs at the "heart" of the Royal Monastery — Shaft No. 7. Metropolitan Yevgeny and Metropolitan Vincent thanked all participants for their spiritual effort. The moleben ended with a "Many Years" to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and to all participants in the prayer procession.

The day of commemoration of the Holy Royal Family and their loyal servants is celebrated on July 17. On this day, Divine Liturgies were held in the churches of the Yekaterinburg Diocese, and new pilgrims continued to arrive at the shrines connected with the Royal Family. Molebens with the reading of the Akathist to the Holy Royal Martyrs were performed throughout the day at the Pilgrim's Cross.

Photo: ekaterinburg-eparhia.ru