Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia placed the ark with the relics of the Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky in a historical silver reliquary transferred from the Hermitage and installed in the upper church of the Annunciation Church of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, the broadcast of the event was conducted on Alexander Nevsky Square in St. Petersburg.

The event, which the Russian Orthodox Church called historic, took place on the day of the transfer of the relics of the holy Prince, celebrated on September 12.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Divine Liturgy was served in the lavra. Two processions took place: a large citywide procession along Nevsky Prospekt from Kazan Cathedral to Alexander Nevsky Square and a small one with the relics of the saint from the Alexander Nevsky Lavra Church to Alexander Nevsky Square, where a monument to the patron saint of St. Petersburg is installed. The festive celebrations were led by Patriarch Kirill.

The first stage of the transfer of the silver crayfish from the Hermitage took place for the holiday. The museum handed over an external silver sarcophagus and an internal wooden ark. The rest of the tomb complex, including a five-tiered pyramid, two candlesticks and two trophy compositions of weapons and banners, will be handed over after the restoration is completed. This is expected to happen at the end of 2024.

The tomb is installed in the Annunciation Church of the Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Lavra, on the second floor - the same place where it stood before it was moved to the museum. Hermitage specialists will constantly monitor the condition of the crayfish and its storage conditions. The premises of the Annunciation Church, which previously housed the Museum of Urban Sculpture, were recently transferred to the St. Petersburg Diocese.