Primate of the Russian Church Celebrates Liturgy at Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow on Commemoration Day of Saints Cyril and Methodius
DECR Communication Service, 24/05/2026
On 24th May 2026, commemoration day of Saints Cyril and Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Teachers of the Slavs, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow. The 24th of May also marks the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture and the Name Day of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill.
Upon his arrival at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church venerated the holy relics of St. Philaret the Metropolitan of Moscow.
Con-celebrating with His Holiness were: Metropolitan Juvenaly (Poyarkov); Metropolitan Vikenty of Tashkent and Uzbekistan, head of the Central Asian Metropolitan Area; Metropolitan Varsonofy of St. Petersburg and Ladoga; Metropolitan Pavel of Krutitsy and Kolomna, Patriarchal Vicar for the Moscow Metropolia; Metropolitan Veniamin of Minsk and Zaslavl, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus; Metropolitan Grigory of Voskresensk, Patriarchal First Vicar for the city of Moscow, Chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate; Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate; Metropolitan Nikandr of Vladimir and Suzdal, Chairman of the Finance and Economic Administration of the Moscow Patriarchate; Metropolitan Mefody of Perm and Kungur; Metropolitan Kliment of Kaluga and Borovsk, Chairman of the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church; Metropolitan Lev of Novgorod and Staraya Rusa; Metropolitan Konstantin of Petrozavodsk and Karelia; Metropolitan German of Kursk and Rylsk; Metropolitan Ioann of Yoshkar-Ola and Mari El; Metropolitan Kirill of Kazan and Tatarstan; Metropolitan Iosif of Ivanovo-Voznesensk and Vichuga; Metropolitan Serafim of Baltiysk and Svetlogorsk, Patriarchal Vicar for the Kaliningrad Metropolia; Metropolitan Alexander of Bryansk and Sevsk; Metropolitan Daniil of Kurgan and Belozerskoye; Metropolitan Feognost of Kashira, Chairman of the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism; Metropolitan Feodosy of Tambov and Rasskazovo; Metropolitan Georgy of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas; Metropolitan Longin of Simbirsk and Novospasskoye; Metropolitan Amvrosy of Tver and Kashin, Chairman of the Synodal Liturgical Commission; Metropolitan Sergiy of Singapore and South-East Asia, Patriarchal Exarch of South-East Asia; Metropolitan Nikodim of Ryazan and Mikhaylov; Metropolitan Panteleimon of Lugansk and Alchevsk; Metropolitan Nikodim of Severodonetsk and Starobelsk; Metropolitan Tikhon of Oryol and Bolkhov; Metropolitan Zinovy of Saransk and Mordovia; Metropolitan Pavel of Khanty-Mansiysk and Surgut; Metropolitan Savva of Vologda and Kirillov; Metropolitan Ignaty of Saratov and Volsk; Metropolitan Konstantin of Cairo and North Africa, Patriarchal Exarch of Africa; Metropolitan Filaret of Ufa and Bashkortostan; Metropolitan Tikhon of Simferopol and Crimea, Chairman of the Patriarchal Council for Culture; Metropolitan Feodor of Volgograd and Kamyshin; Metropolitan Matfei of Pskov and Porkhov; Metropolitan Arseny of Zvenigorod; Metropolitan Yevgeny of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye, Chairman of the Synodal Department for Religious Education and Catechisation; Metropolitan Alexy of Chelyabinsk and Miass; Metropolitan Vasily of Yekaterinodar and Kuban; Metropolitan Leonty of Voronezh and Liski; and other hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Taking part in the divine service were the following representatives of the Local Orthodox Churches: Metropolitan Niphon of Philippopolis (Orthodox Church of Antioch); Archimandrite Stephanos (Dispirakis) (Orthodox Church of Jerusalem); Archimandrite Seraphim (Shemyatovsky) (Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia); and Archpriest Daniel Andrejuk (Orthodox Church in America).
Among His Holiness’ con-celebrants were also Protopresbyter Vladimir Divakov, Patriarchal Secretary for the city of Moscow; Archpriest Mikhail Ryazantsev, Sacristan of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour; Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, Adviser to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’; Archpriest Maxim Kozlov, Chairman of the Education Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church; Archpriest Igor Vyzhanov, DECR Deputy Chairman; Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk, DECR Deputy Chairman; as well as deans and clergy of Moscow and the Moscow Region.
Among those who attended the Divine Liturgy were: Mr D.N. Chernyshenko, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia; Ms A.Yu. Kuznetsova, Deputy Chair of the State Duma of the Russian Federation; Mr I.O. Shchyogolev, Plenipotentiary Envoy of the Russian President to the Central Federal District; Mr D.F. Mezentsev, Presidential Representative in the Constitutional Court; Mr L.Ye. Slutsky, Leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs; Mr S.A. Gavrilov, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Ownership, Land and Property Relations; Mr S.G. Obryvalin, First Deputy Minister of Culture; Mr V.I. Resin, deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, Advisor to the Mayor of Moscow, construction advisor to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’ and curator of the Programme for Construction of Orthodox Churches in Moscow; cosmonaut and Hero of Russia Ye.O. Serova; Mr I.N. Kagramanyan, Auditor of the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation; Mr A.V. Shaposhnikov, Chairman of the Moscow City Duma; Mr A.R. Ivanov, head of the Odintsovo City District; Mr S.G. Malyshev, Senior Vice-President of Nornickel; Mr V.V. Mikhaylov, First Deputy Managing Director of the Russian Railways; Mr A.A. Guts, First Deputy Director of the Corporate Communications Department of the Russian Railways; Mr A.A. Guryev, President of the Russian Fertilizers Producers Association; Mr A.G. Guryev, Vice President of the Russian Union of Chemists; and Mr I.S. Kharkov, head of the “Apostol” Jewelry Workshop.
Among those in prayerful attendance were: Mr V.R. Legoyda, Chairman of the Synodal Department for Church’s Relations with Society and Mass Media; Mr A.V. Shchipkov, Rector of St. John the Theologian Russian Orthodox University, Deputy Head of the World Russian People’s Council; Mr S.Yu. Rudov, Deputy Head of the World Russian People’s Council; Mr M.M. Ivanov, Chair of the Supervisory Board of the Orthodox Russia Public Movement; Mr A.Yu. Zarov, Director and Chief Medical Officer of the St. Alexis Central Clinical Hospital in Moscow; Mr V.A. Levin, Acting General Director of “Sofrino” Art Production Enterprise; as well as numerous clergymen, monastics and laypeople.
The liturgical hymns were performed by the Patriarchal Choir of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour and a clergy choir of the Moscow Metropolia.
The Liturgy was broadcast live on the “Soyuz” and “Spas” TV channels and on patriarchia.ru – the official website of the Russian Orthodox Church.
During the Litany of Fervent Supplication, prayers for the Holy Rus’ were said. Special prayers for His Holiness Patriarch Kirill were also offered on the occasion of his Name Day.
His Holiness read a prayer for the unity of the Holy Rus’.
Prior to the communion, Bishop Siluan of Petergof, Rector of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, Chairman of the Synodal Commission on Bioethics, delivered a sermon.
After the Liturgy, prayers of praise were offered to Saints Cyril and Methodius, Equal-to-the-Apostles.
Many Years were sung to the Primate of the Russian Church.
Metropolitan Grigory of Voskresensk read out a message of greetings from the members of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill on the occasion of his Name Day. Metropolitan Grigory also presented to His Holiness the ‘Sign” Icon of the Mother of God.
Mr I.O. Shchyogolev, Plenipotentiary Envoy of the Russian President to the Central Federal District, conveyed greetings to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill from the President of the Russian Federation, Mr Vladimir Putin. Mr D.N. Chernyshenko read out greetings from the Russian Prime Minister, Mr Mikhail Mishustin.
The Primate of the Russian Church addressed delivered a homily.
After that, several hierarchs of the Russian Church received ecclesiastical awards.
In conclusion, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill said:
“Once again I extend my heartfelt festive greetings to all of you, my dear archpastors, fathers, brothers and sisters. I am glad that today we all together are praying at the Divine Liturgy in the major church of the Russian Orthodox Church. I wish you all help from God, fortitude and strength in overcoming hardships and obstacles that face every person on his/her life journey.
“May God help us so that no obstacles and difficulties may diminish our faith or destroy our inner spiritual strength, because sometimes those hindrances and hardships come from the archfiend. If we respond to them with our prayer, faith and strong spirit, devil’s designs will be destroyed. May we live our life in such a way that it will be to the glory and welfare of our Church and for our salvation. Amen.”
After the Liturgy, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, who is the head of the World Russian People’s Council, received greetings from the Council’s representatives. Extending warm wishes to the Primate of the Russian Church on his Name Day were also participants in the Patriarchal Volunteers Movement, Patriarchal Press Service reports.