His Holiness Patriarch Kirill сelebrates All-Night Vigil at the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius

DECR Communication service, 18.07.2025.

On July 17, 2025, on the eve of the feast of the uncovering of the holy relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh (1422), His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Rus’ celebrated the All-Night Vigil on the Cathedral Square of the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius.

The solemn service was held before the revered icon of St. Sergius. A platform was set up on the Cathedral Square for the celebration of the festive All-Night Vigil and Divine Liturgy, and a throne under a canopy was placed in front of the Dormition Cathedral of the Lavra, reports the Press Service of the Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus’.

Concelebrating with His Holiness were: Metropolitan Vikenty of Tashkent and Uzbekistan, head of the Metropolitan District of Central Asia; Metropolitan Varsonofy of St. Petersburg and Ladoga; Metropolitan Pavel of Krutitsy and Kolomna, Patriarchal Vicar of the Moscow Metropolitanate; Metropolitan Veniamin of Minsk and Zaslavl, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus; Metropolitan Grigory of Voskresensk, Chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate, First Vicar of the Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus’ for the city of Moscow; Metropolitan Antony of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations; Metropolitan Nikandr of Vladimir and Suzdal, Chairman of the Financial and Economic Administration of the Moscow Patriarchate; Bishop Kirill of Sergiyev Posad and Dmitrov, Abbot of the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, Rector of the Moscow Theological Academy; Bishop Alexy of Ramenskoye, Personal Secretary of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill; and a host of hierarchs who arrived at the Lavra for the celebrations.

Also concelebrating with His Holiness were Archimandrite Alipy (Kastalsky), Archimandrite Zachariah (Shkurikhin), and other residents of the Lavra in holy orders.

The liturgical hymns were performed by the combined choir of the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius and the Moscow Theological Academy under the direction of Hieromonk Nestor (Volkov).

Attending the service were: Chairman of the State Duma Committee of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on Construction and Housing and Communal Services S.A. Pakhomov; Chairman of the Board of the Foundation for the Preservation and Development of the Solovetsky Archipelago A.V. Guts; First Deputy General Director of JSC "Russian Railways" V.V. Mikhailov; Acting General Director of the Artistic and Production Enterprise of the Russian Orthodox Church "Sofrino" V.A. Levin; Head of the Jewelry and Art Workshop "Apostol" I.S. Kharkov; and members of the delegation of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, who arrived in Russia to familiarize themselves with the Russian monastic tradition.

Hegumenias and sisters of monasteries, as well as numerous pilgrims, prayed during the service.

The Patriarchal service was broadcast live on the television channels "Spas" and "Soyuz," as well as on the official website of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarchia.ru.

In the Pokrovsky Academic Church, the All-Night Vigil was led by Metropolitan Leonty of Voronezh and Liski.

Photos by the Press Service of the Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus’.

Print publication

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill сelebrates All-Night Vigil at the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius

Patriarch

Department Chairman

Sermons

Patriarch

Department Chairman

Sermons