The commemoration of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was celebrated in the Turkish city of Demre. A liturgy in honor of the feast of the translation of the relics of St. Nicholas was held on May 22 at St. Nicholas Church. The service was officiated by Father Georgy Sergeyev, responsible for the pastoral care of the Moscow Patriarchate's flock in Turkey, according to the Synodal Department for External Church Relations.

The service was attended by over 300 pilgrims from various regions of Turkey, as well as Russian specialists working on the construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant. After the liturgy, the faithful chanted a prayer service to St. Nicholas. Father Georgy congratulated everyone present on the feast of the translation of the relics of St. Nicholas from Myra of Lycia to the Italian city of Bari.

St. Nicholas was a Christian bishop in Myra of Lycia during the Roman Empire. Today, Myra is the city of Demre in Turkey's Antalya Province. St. Nicholas passed away around 345 AD. In the 5th century, Byzantine Emperor Theodosius II ordered the construction of a church in honor of St. Nicholas on the site where he served as bishop. This church was destroyed by an earthquake, and a basilica was built in its place, which was later destroyed by Arabs in the 7th century. The current building dates to around the 8th century. The sarcophagus that originally contained the relics of St. Nicholas is located in the southern nave of the church.

In 1087, after the Seljuk Turks invaded the city, Italian merchants transported the relics of St. Nicholas to the city of Bari. In memory of this event, the Orthodox Church commemorates the translation of the relics of St. Nicholas on May 22.