Celebrations in honour of Martyr Ludmilla of Bohemia take place at Moscow Metochion of Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia

DECR Communication Service, 01/10/2026

On 29^th September 2026, commemoration day of the Holy Martyr Ludmilla, heavenly patroness of the Czech land, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Kotelniki – the Moscow Metochion of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia.

Bishop Seraphim of Istra, First Deputy Chairman of the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, officiated at the Liturgy. Concelebrating with His Grace were Archimandrite Seraphim (Shemyatovsky), Rector of St. Nicholas Church in Kotelniki, Representative of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’; Archpriest Daniel Andrejuk, Rector of the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine In-the-Fields, Representative of the Orthodox Church in America to the Moscow Patriarchal Throne; Archpriest Boris Krivonogov, Dean of the Chelyabinsk Church District, Rector of the Church of St. Alexander Nevsky in Chelyabinsk; Archpriest Igor Yefremushkin, Rector of the Holy Dormition Church in Prague; Priest Vyacheslav Novak, Dean of the Lyubertsy Church District, Rector of the Holy Transfiguration Cathedral in Lyubersty; as well as the Metochion clerics and ordained guests.

Among those in attendance were Mr Peter Priputen, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Slovak Republic to the Russian Federation; Mr Gerhard Sailler, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Austria to the Russian Federation; and representatives of Slovakia’s Embassy in Moscow.

After the Liturgy, prayers of praise were offered to the Holy Martyr Ludmilla before her icon, the Metochion Telegram channel reports.

Bishop Seraphim of Istra delivered a homily, in which he spoke of St. Ludmilla’s life and martyrdom. At the request of the church rector, the archpastor presented a member of the church choir, Ms Marina Medvedeva, with a Medal of the Holy Righteous Alexis Toth in consideration of her longstanding work and on the occasion of her 50^th birthday.

Archimandrite Seraphim (Shemyatovsky) read out a message of greetings from His Beatitude Metropolitan Rastislav of the Czech Lands and Slovakia and warmly thanked Bishop Seraphim of Istra for officiating at the Divine Liturgy on the feast day.

The Church of St. Nicholas in Kotelniki is home to particles of the relics of the Holy Martyrs Ludmilla and Wenceslaus. The relics had been brought to Moscow by His Beatitude Metropolitan Dorotheus of the Czech Lands and Slovakia in 1999 and presented as a gift to the Russian Orthodox Church. In accordance with the decision of Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus’, they have been kept at the Church of St. Nicholas in Kotelniki ever since for prayerful veneration.

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Celebrations in honour of Martyr Ludmilla of Bohemia take place at Moscow Metochion of Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia

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Patriarch

Department Chairman

Sermons