Nice hosts celebrations marking 50th birthday and 14th anniversary of episcopal consecration of Patriarchal Exarch of Western Europe

DECR Communications Service, 06.09.2024. 

On September 5, the commemoration day of hieromartyr Irenaeus of Lyon, Nice hosted celebrations marking the 50th birthday and the 14th anniversary of the episcopal consecration of Metropolitan Nestor of Chersonesus and Western Europe, Patriarchal Exarch of Western Europe.

Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations (DECR), officiated at the festive Divine Liturgy in the St. Nicholas Cathedral in Nice.

Metropolitan Anthony and Metropolitan Nestor were assisted by the hierarchs of the Exarchate of Western Europe, including Archbishop Simon of Brussels and Belgium; Archbishop Elisey of the Hague and the Netherlands; vicars of the Patriarchal Exarch of Western Europe Bishop Amvrosy of Bogorodsk and Bishop Peter of Kafa; archpriest Andrei Yeliseyev, rector of the St. Nicholas Cathedral; Rev. Maxim Politov, secretary of the Chersonesus diocesan administration; archpriest Pavel Nedosekin, secretary of the Brussels diocesan administration; archimandrite Martin (de Caflisch), dean of the parishes in Switzerland; archimandrite Amvrosy (Makar), rector of the St. Ambrose parish in Milan; archpriest Nikolai Rebinder, rector of the Church of the Three Holy Hierarchs in Paris; archpriest Mikhail Gogolev, rector of the Church of All Saints who shone forth fr om the land of Britain and Ireland, Birmingham; archpriest Vadim Zakrevsky, rector of the parish of the Holy Royal Martyrs in Monaco; hegumen Serafim (Pavlov), rector of the Annunciation parish in Barcelona; archpriest Ioann Gerbovetsky, dean of the parishes in Portugal; archpriest Mikhail Zeman, rector of the Resurrection parish in Zurich; hieromonk Amvrosy (Matsegora), secretary of the Administration of the Moscow Patriarchate’s parishes in Italy; and other rectors and clerics of the churches of the Exarchate of Western Europe, website of the Diocese of Chersonesus reports.

Singing during the Divine service was the cathedral choir. The Gospel was read in French and Church Slavonic.

At the requiem litany, prayers were offered up for the ever-memorable Metropolitan Nikodim (Rotov), ​​former chairman of the DECR and Patriarchal Exarch of Western Europe, who died 46 years ago on this day.

The service being over, Metropolitan Anthony warmly congratulated Metropolitan Nestor on his 50th birthday and the 14th anniversary of his episcopal consecration, read out the congratulatory address of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus', and, upon the Patriarchal blessing, presented Metropolitan Nestor with the Order of St. Sergius of Radonezh, 2nd class.

Metropolitan Nestor asked Metropolitan Anthony to convey assurances of his filial gratitude to His Holiness for caring for the faithful of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Western Europe and for the honor of receiving a high award. Also, he heartily thanked the DECR chairman for coming to the celebrations and officiating over the divine service in Nice.

High awards were presented to the hierarchs of the Exarchate of Western Europe: the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky, 3rd class, to Archbishop Simon of Brussels and Belgium; and the Order of St. Seraphim of Sarov, 3rd class, to Bishop Amvrosy of Bogorodsk.

After the welcoming speech of the rector, archpriest Andrei Yeliseyev, and the traditional Many Years to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and Metropolitan Nestor, the archpastors, clerics and parishioners, singing the troparion for the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, proceeded to the territory near the cathedral on Avenue Nicolas II just off Boulevard du Tzaréwitch, wh ere Metropolitan Anthony blessed the bas-relief of Emperor Nicholas II the Passion-bearer.

The celebrations ended with a festive meal, which the hierarchs, clerics and laypersons shared in the crypt of the cathedral.