First Liturgy in 90 years in Russian village church

Tikhy Ples, Tatarstan, Russia, July 25, 2022

Photo: tatmitropolia.ru     

Yet another Russian village church closed during the godless Soviet years has seen the light of the Divine services again for the first time in decades.

On Saturday, on the feast of the Placing of the Precious Robe of the Lord in Moscow, which occurred in 1625, His Eminence Metropolitan Kirill of Kazan and Tatarstan celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the church in the village of Tikhy Ples, Tatarstan, which was celebrating its patronal feast.

This was the first time the Liturgy was celebrated in the church in almost 90 years, reports Orthodoxy in Tatarstan.

Photo: tatmitropolia.ru     

The local faithful, pilgrims from Kazan, and volunteers working on the restoration of the church all prayed during the service.

After the service, the clergy and faithful held a procession around the church.

Photo: tatmitropolia.ru     

Met. Kirill, addressed the people on the occasion:

Today we prayed in a ruined but not forgotten church. Thanks to the dean Fr. Pimen, the rector Fr. Anatoly, the head of the youth department of our diocese Artem Garanin and other laborers, the spiritual life is being revived here. It’s impossible to raise this church with our modest human efforts, but there is huge Divine power in this sacred place that sends opportunities and draws people.

… But it’s important that we, each in our own place, would feel the presence of Divine grace, so we wouldn’t have to go somewhere to find it, so we could come to our church, pray, and leave with warmth in our hearts. If Divine grace touches our soul, then we’ll leave the church with a pure heart, filled with grace. We won’t pay attention to the sins of others, and everything that happens in the world won’t obscure the presence of God.

After the service, the local dean Fr. Pimen presented the parish with the books of Sacred Scripture, the parishioners were given icons of the Placing of the Lord’s Robe.

OrthoChristian has reported on the restoration of the liturgical life at a number of churches after the long years of soviet persecution, including a church in the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin First service in 100 years celebrated in Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin churchThe service was set to coincide with the beginning of the restoration work on the church.

“>in 2018, a church at the St. Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg Liturgical life resumes in church at St. Petersburg’s St. Alexander Nevsky Lavra after 90 yearsThe second floor was returned to the monastery by the City Committee for Property Relations on March 16. The Museum of Urban Sculpture that was previously housed there has been moved elsewhere.”>in April 2021, a church in Moldova Resurrected on Pascha: First service in Moldova church since construction stopped in 1940The monastery returned to the Romanian Church’s Metropolis of Bessarabia in 2019.”>that May, another church in Tatarstan First Liturgy in nearly a century in Russian village churchHoly Theophany Church in the Tatar village of Krugloe Pole was closed by the godless Soviet authorities in 1932, leaving it without Divine services for several decades. And the last episcopal service was held there in 1914.”>that August, an Old Rite church outside of Moscow Liturgy served for first time in century in Old Rite church outside MoscowOn the occasion of its patronal feast, the Old Rite Edinoverie Church of St. Peter of Moscow in the Moscow Province experienced the beginning of a spiritual rebirth, with the first Divine Liturgy being celebrated there in 100 years.”>that September, and another Nizhny Novgorod church Liturgical life revived in Russian village church after several decadesThe church was closed and looted by the godless authorities, saved from complete destruction only by its use as a granary in the Soviet period.”>in February of this year.

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