His Holiness the Patriarch celebrates Lesser Vespers at the Monastery of the Holy Trinity and Saint Sergius by reading the Akathist to Saint Sergius.

Communications Service of the DECR, 17.07.2026. 

On 17^th July 2026 on the eve of the feast day of the discovery of the precious relics in 1422 of Saint Sergius, abbot of Radonezh, His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’ came to the Monastery of the Holy Trinity and Saint Sergius.

Greeting the primate of the Russian Orthodox Church at the holy gates of the monastery were: the vicar abbot of the Monastery of the Holy Trinity and Saint Sergius, the rector of the Moscow Theological Academy and the bishop of Sergiev Posad and Dmitrov Cyril; the head of the Sergiev Posad district in the Moscow region O. V. Yerokhanov and the brethren of the monastery.

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill then proceeded towards the Trinity Cathedral of the monastery, where he venerated the relics of Saint Sergius of Radonezh and the icon of the Holy trinity painted by Saint Andrei Rublev.

At the Trinity Cathedral, where the precious relics of Saint Sergius abide, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill headed the service of Lesser Vespers with a reading of the Akathist to the saint, reports the press service of the Patriarch.

Concelebrating with His Holiness were: the metropolitan of Tashkent and Uzbekistan Vincent, head of the Central Asian metropolitanate; the metropolitan of Saint Petersburg and Ladoga Barsonuphius; the metropolitan of Krutitsk and Kolomna Paul, the Patriarchal auxiliary for the Moscow metropolitanate; the metropolitan of Minsk and Zaslava Benjamin, the Patriarchal exarch for all Belarus; the metropolitan of Voskresensk Gregory, the chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchy, first auxiliary bishop of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’ for the city of Moscow and vicar abbot of New Saviour’s Monastery; the metropolitan of Volokolamsk Anthony, the chairman of the Department for External Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate; the metropolitan of Kashira, the chairman of the Synodal department for monasticism and the monastic life and vicar abbot of the stauropegic Monastery of Our Lady of the Don; the archbishop of Odintsovo and Krasnogorsk Thomas, director of the administrative secretariat of the Moscow Patriarchy, dean of the Epiphany Cathedral in Yelokovo, Moscow; the bishop of Sergiev Posad and Dmitrov Cyril; the bishop of Ramenskoye Alexis, personal secretary to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill; and the inmates of the monastery in holy orders.

The liturgical hymns were sung by the choir of the Monastery of the Holy Trinity and Saint Sergius conducted by hieromonk Nestor (Volkov).

Praying in the Trinity Cathedral were: the deputy chairman of the Synodal department for monasteries and the monastic life and mother superior of the Convent of the Conception abbess Juliania (Kaleda); the mother superior of the Holy Trinity and Saint Seraphim of Diveyevo Convent abbes Sergia (Konkova); the mother superior of the stauropegic Convent of the Nativity of Our Lady abbess Victorina (Perminova); numerous pilgrims who had come to the Moanastery of the Holy Trinity and Saint Sergius on the eve of the feast day of Saint Sergius.

Attending the service were: the chairman of the Russian State Duma for construction and living conditions, secretary of the trustees of the Foundation for the Preservation and Restoration of the Town of Sergiev Posad in the Moscow region S. A. Pakhomov; the head of the Sergiev Posad district in the Moscow region O. V. Yerokhanov; the first deputy of the director general of the Russian Railways Company V. V. Mikhailov; and the deputy head of the World Russian Peoples’ Council S. Yu. Rudov.

At the conclusion of the service the primate of the Russian Church venerated the relics in the Saint Nikon side-chapel and the Saint Serapion hall of the Trinity Cathedral.