On the feast day of the appearance of the Icon of the Mother of God in Kazan (1579), a traditional procession with the Kazan Icon of the Holy Virgin took place in the capital of Tatarstan. The revered copy of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God was carried through the historic center of Kazan during the procession.

The Moleben to the Mother of God was led by the Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus, Metropolitan Veniamin of Minsk and Zaslavl, and Metropolitan Kirill of Kazan and Tatarstan. Following the Moleben, the heads of the Minsk and Tatarstan dioceses, along with bishops of the Russian Church who had come to Kazan for the church festivities, clergy of the Kazan diocese, local residents, and pilgrims from various regions of Russia participated in the procession.

As per tradition, the prayerful procession began from the Annunciation Cathedral of the Kazan Kremlin. The revered copy of the Kazan Icon was carried through the historic city center to the Kazan Mother of God Monastery. The procession was met with heavy rain. The Kazan Icon of the Mother of God was solemnly brought into the Kazan Cathedral, which was restored and consecrated three years ago by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. The church, which accommodates approximately 2000 people, was unable to hold all the worshipers, so some prayed outside the entrance.

This year, the faithful are commemorating the 445th anniversary of the appearance of the miraculous Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the third anniversary of the great consecration of the restored Kazan Cathedral on the site of the holy appearance. The revered copy of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, brought to Russia from the Vatican, is permanently kept in the iconostasis of the right chapel of the Kazan Cathedral. Alongside the holy image is a silver cover that housed the original icon of the Mother of God until 1904.

Photo: Tatarstan Metropolia