On the Feast of the Baptism of Rus’, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Dormition Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin

DECR Communication service, 29.07.2026.

On 28 July 2026, the day of commemoration of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, the day of the Church-State feast of the Baptism of Rus’, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Patriarchal Dormition Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.

A reliquary containing a portion of the relics of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Great Prince Vladimir was brought from the Cathedral Church of Christ the Saviour to the Dormition Cathedral, the Press Service of the Patriarch reports. The holy relic was placed in the cathedral to the right of the Royal Doors.

The Bishops’ Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, held on 24–29 June 2008, decreed that, in commemoration of the Baptism of Rus’, on the day of the commemoration of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir on 15/28 July, “the divine services shall be celebrated according to the rite of a great feast, rendering due honour to the baptizer of Rus’.”

Before the beginning of the divine service, His Holiness venerated the reliquary containing a portion of the relics of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Great Prince Vladimir.

Concelebrating with His Holiness during the Liturgy were: Metropolitan Pavel of Krutitsy and Kolomna, Patriarchal Exarch of the Moscow Metropolis; Metropolitan Grigory of Voskresensk, Head of the Moscow Patriarchate Administration, First Vicar of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’ for the city of Moscow, and Abbot of the Stavropegic Novospassky Monastery; Metropolitan Feognost of Kashira, Chairman of the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism, and Abbot of the Stavropegic Donskoy Monastery; Metropolitan Arseny of Zvenigorod; Archbishop Foma of Odintsovo and Krasnogorsk, Head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Moscow Patriarchate and Rector of the Cathedral of the Epiphany in Yelokhovo in Moscow; Archbishop Aksy of Podolsk and Lyubertsy, Secretary of the Council of Bishops of the Moscow Metropolis; Archbishop Savva of Zelenograd, Chairman of the Synodal Missionary Department and Deputy Head of the Moscow Patriarchate Administration; Bishop Ignatius of Perm and Kungur; Bishop Roman of Serpukhov, Abbot of the Stavropegic Vysotsky Monastery; Bishop Alexy of Ramenskoye, Personal Secretary of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill; Protopresbyter Vladimir Divakov, Secretary of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’ for the city of Moscow and Dean of the Central Church District of Moscow; Archpriest Mikhail Ryazantsev, Sacristan of the Cathedral Church of Christ the Saviour in Moscow; Archpriest Dionisy Kazantsev, Secretary of His Holiness the Patriarch for the Moscow Region; Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk, Deputy Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations; Hegumen Ioann (Ludishchev), Abbot of the Stavropegic Sretensky Monastery and Rector of the Sretensky Theological Academy; Archpriest Alexander Dasaev, Dean of the Resurrection Church District of Moscow; Archpriest Alexander Farkovets, Dean of the Donskoy Church District of Moscow; Archpriest Vyacheslav Shestakov, Rector of the churches of the Patriarchal Metochion in Zaryadye in Moscow, Sacristan of the Patriarchal Dormition Cathedral and the churches of the Moscow Kremlin; Priest Vasily Losev, Head of the Secretariat of the World Russian People’s Council and Head of the Legal Service of the Moscow Metropolis; deans of the church districts of the Moscow (city) Diocese; and clergy of the capital’s churches.

Taking part in the divine service were hierarchs and clergy of the Antiochian Orthodox Church: Metropolitan Niphon of Philippopolis, Representative of the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’; Metropolitan Anthony of Zahle and Baalbek; Archimandrite Jeremiah (Azzam), clergyman of the Metropolis of Zahle; Archimandrite Chrysostomos (El-Mesherki), Associate Professor at the Saint John of Damascus Theological Institute of the University of Balamand; students of the University of Balamand: Priest Silouan Jbara, Priest Athanasius Mahoul, and Hierodeacon Arseny (Koussa).

The festive divine service in the Patriarchal Dormition Cathedral was attended by: V.R. Legoyda, Chairman of the Synodal Department for Relations between the Church, Society and the Media; S.A. Gavrilov, Chairman of the Committee of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on Property, Land and Property Relations; N.Yu. Chaplin, Deputy of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and Starosta of the Patriarchal Dormition Cathedral in the Kremlin; S.G. Obryvalin, First Deputy Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation; S.N. Udovenko, Head of the Commandant Service of the Moscow Kremlin of the Federal Protective Service of the Russian Federation — Commandant of the Moscow Kremlin; I.N. Kagramanyan, Auditor of the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation; V.I. Suchkov, Head of the Department for National Policy and Interregional Relations of the City of Moscow; M.M. Ivanov, Deputy Chairman of the World Russian People’s Council and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the All-Russian Public Movement “Orthodox Russia”; E.O. Blagov, Head of the Russian Cross Assistance Foundation; A.V. Fadyukhin, Ataman of the Central Cossack Host; I.S. Kharkov, Ktitor of the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in St Petersburg and Head of the jewellery and artistic workshop “Apostle”.

Praying at the Liturgy were abbesses, monks and nuns of stavropegic monasteries, servicemen of the Presidential Regiment, Cossacks of the Central Cossack Host, participants of the “Patriarchal Volunteers” movement, parishioners of Moscow churches, and pilgrims.

The liturgical hymns were performed by the Youth Choir of the Cathedrals of the Moscow Kremlin under the direction of A.M. Kharkova.

A number of petitions and exclamations were proclaimed in Arabic.

At the Little Entrance, by decree of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, on the basis of the decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church of 16 July 2026 (Journal No. 53), Bishop Ignatius of Perm and Kungur, in connection with his appointment as the head of the Perm Metropolis, was elevated to the rank of Metropolitan.

On the basis of the decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church of 12 March 2026 (Journal No. 20), Hieromonk Daniil (Konstantinov), Acting Abbot of the Stavropegic Zaikonospassky Monastery, in connection with his confirmation in the position of abbot of the said monastery, was elevated to the rank of Hegumen with the presentation of a staff.

During the Augmented Litany, petitions were offered for the President of Russia Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, who is celebrating his name day:

“Again we pray for the President of our country Russia, Vladimir Vladimirovich, who is now celebrating his name day, that from heaven he may be granted strength and wisdom for governance and justice, to rule our country well, to establish peace and prosperity in it, and to turn its enemies and adversaries to fear and flight; let us all say: Lord, hear and have mercy.

Again we pray that by Thy mercy and compassion Thou wouldst look upon the army and all the defenders of our Fatherland, who in the hour of trial lay down their souls for their neighbours, and reveal to them and to us Thy almighty help; let us all say: Lord, hear and have mercy.

Again we pray that Thou wouldst enlighten with the light of Thy good understanding the hardened people, and strengthen Thy faithful ones and preserve them in unanimity and unity; we beseech Thee, All-merciful Lord, have mercy and compassion.”

The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church offered a prayer for the President celebrating his name day:

“Lord Jesus Christ, our God, God of all mercy and compassion, whose mercy is immeasurable and whose depth of love for mankind is unfathomable! Falling before Thy Majesty with fear and trembling, as unworthy servants, we humbly offer thanksgiving to Thy goodness for Thy blessings bestowed upon the President of our country, Vladimir Vladimirovich, who is now celebrating his name day; and as Lord, Master and Benefactor we glorify, praise, sing and magnify Thee, and falling down, again we give thanks, humbly beseeching Thy immeasurable and ineffable mercy. That as Thou hast now vouchsafed to accept the prayers of Thy servants and mercifully fulfil them, so may Thou grant that the President of our country Vladimir Vladimirovich, now honoured, may receive Thy blessings, progressing in Thy love and in all virtues, delivering our Russian country guided by him from every evil circumstance and granting it peace and tranquillity; and mayest Thou vouchsafe that we may always offer thanksgiving and speak and sing praises to Thee, the God glorified together with Thy Beginningless Father and Thy Most Holy, Good and Consubstantial Spirit, one in essence: Glory to Thee, our God and Benefactor, unto ages of ages.”

Then His Holiness the Patriarch read a prayer for Holy Rus’.

The sermon before Communion was delivered by Archpriest Vasily Gelevan, clergyman of the Church of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos in Sokolniki, Moscow.

At the conclusion of the divine service, His Holiness addressed the faithful with a Primatial message.

According to established tradition, after the Divine Liturgy a procession of the Cross took place from the Dormition Cathedral to the monument to the Equal-to-the-Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, followed by a solemn service of supplication on Borovitskaya Square. The reliquary containing a portion of the relics of Saint Prince Vladimir was carried in procession to Borovitskaya Square, and after the moleben access to it was opened for those praying.

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