Monument to Royal Martyrs consecrated on 595th anniversary of miraculous Godenov Cross

The 595th anniversary of the appearance of one of the most famous miracle-working crosses, the Godenov Cross, was festively celebrated on Monday in the courtyard of the St. John Chrysostom podvoriye in the village of Godenovo, halfway between Moscow and Yaroslavl, of the St. Nicholas Convent in Pereslavl-Zalessky.  

A new monument to the holy Royal Martyrs was consecrated for the occasion, reports the site of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Godenov cross is a unique sacred object, miraculously found in 1423 in a backwater marsh near Rostov the Great. It is believed to have come “from the Greeks,” 30 years before the fall of Byzantium. The Russian state was strengthened during these years and the Church became independent of Constantinople. The appearance of the cross has historically been taken as a sign that Russia is the successor to the Byzantine Empire. The cross remains a main point of pilgrimage in Russia.

On this day, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the courtyard of the St. John Chrysostom Church by Metropolitan Panteleimon of Yaroslavl and Rostov, Metropolitan Longin of Saratov and Volsky, and Bishop Theodore of Pereslavl and Uglich, along with clergy of the Yaroslavl Metropolitanate.

At the end of the Divine Liturgy, a copy of the Life-giving Cross was consecrated, which will be delivered to the Saratov Metropolitanate.

Then the hierarchs consecrated a new monument to the Royal Martyrs, made by Moscow sculptor Sergei Bychkov, who also made the St. Seraphim of Sarov monument that was installed at the church a year ago. The monument was erected in honor of the centenary of the murder of the last Royal Family. Several large portraits of the members of the Royal Family were also placed at the entrance to the village of Godenovo. The hierarchs also led the opening of this “memorial alley.”

Source: Orthochristian.com