On the evening of August 21, 2026, the ark with the right hand of St. Spyridon of Trimifunt was delivered to the capital of Tatarstan. The shrine is accompanied by members of the Greek delegation led by Metropolitan Nectarios of Kerkyra, Paxia and Diapontia Islands.
Metropolitan Kirill of Kazan and Tatarstan met the shrine and the guests of the capital of Tatarstan at the Kazan River Port. The meeting was also attended by Deputy Chairman of the State Council of the Republic of Tatarstan Yuri Kamaltynov, First Deputy Head of the Kazan municipality Denis Kalinkin, and the clergy of the Kazan Diocese.
Then the ark with the relics, accompanied by archpastors and clergy, was taken to the Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God of the Kazan Bogoroditsky Monastery.
The archpastors and clergy performed a prayer service to St. Spyridon. The hymns were performed by the Episcopal mixed choir conducted by Marina Litvinenko.
At the end, Metropolitan Kirill overshadowed the worshippers three times with the right hand of the saint, after which he addressed the word.
Then, on behalf of the republic's leadership, Yuri Kamaltynov greeted the guests of the capital of Tatarstan and the faithful. Yuri Zimelevich thanked Metropolitan Nektary for the visit and noted that the arrival of the relics of St. Spyridon in Kazan is a great holiday for all Orthodox Christians of Tatarstan.
Metropolitan Nektary also addressed the participants of the celebration.: "I am very glad to be here with you today. As Vladyka Kirill has already said, we usually come to the saints to worship them and venerate their relics, and not the saints themselves come to us so that we can worship them. But Saint Spyridon did not want to stay in just one place, because he is truly an ecumenical saint.
Our hearts ache because two Orthodox nations cannot have such close communication as before. Neither the Orthodox Russian people nor the Orthodox Greek people are to blame for this. But St. Spyridon overcame the obstacles that separated us. And today he is here, together with you, in God-saved Kazan."
Then the rector of the Peter and Paul Cathedral, Archpriest Sergius Titov, accompanied by the clergy of the parish, performed a prayer service with an akathist to St. Spyridon.
The shrine will remain in the capital of Tatarstan until August 25. During the stay of the ark with the relics of St. Spyridon, the Kazan Cathedral will be open around the clock. Solemn divine services will be held in the cathedral.