Patriarch Kirill officiated Vesper service at the Russian church in Belgrade
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia served feast-day’s Vesper service (Translation of Relics of St. George) at Holy Trinity church in Belgrade
Faithful people waited since afternoon in front of the Russian church in Belgrade to greet His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia on Saturday, the 15th of November 2014, and to find a place in the church which was too small to accommodate all of them. Bells of the Russian church marked the arrival of the Russian Patriarch, in whose escort there were Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegro and the Littoral, Archbishop Michael of Geneva and Western Europe and Bishop Antonije of Moravica.
The Patriarch of Moscow officiated the Vesper service with the concelebration of Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk and Bishop Sergiy of Solnechnogorsk, and of protopresbyters: Nikolai Balashov and Igor Jakimchuk from the Patriarch’s entourage as well as of Vitaly Tarasyev, head of the Representation (Podvorye) of the Russian Orthodox Church in Belgrade.
The congregation venerated the Gospel, and His Holiness Kirill anointed them with blessed oil.
After the end of the service His Holiness was warmly greeted by protopresbyter Vitaly Tarasyev, who pointed out the significance of the visit of the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church and expressed great joy regarding the consecration of the Iveron chapel at the Russian Necropolis. Father Vitaly presented to His Holiness a facsimile edition of the commemorative book that has been kept since the foundation of the Russian Necropolis, as well as a copy of the icon of Mother of God of “Iveron”. His Holiness held a sermon saying, among other things:
“Throughout Russia churches are being built nowadays, but the Russian Orthodox Church has over eight hundred churches all over the world in more than 60 countries, and each church is visited by people of God…
This Russian church in Belgrade represents a sort of a bridge which spiritually unites the Russian and Serbian peoples,” Russian Patriarch Kirill concluded and thanked protopresbyter Tarasyev who committedly performs divine services and takes care of the spiritual flock. His Holiness particularly praised his love and efforts regarding the restoration of the Iveron chapel at the memorial Russian cemetery, and promoted him to the rank of a stavrophor, i.e. the right of bearing a cross with decorations. On this occasion, Patriarch Kirill presented to the church of Holy Trinity sets of Eucharistic vessels.
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia awarded Mr. Nenad Popovic, president of the Fund of the Russian Necropolis in Belgrade, with the Order of Saint Seraphim of Sarov; while the Order of Saint Sergius of Radonezh of the Third Degree was received by Mr. Konstantin Kosachev, chairman of the Russian State agency for international social cooperation, and Mr. Valery Ryazanski, president of the Committee for social politics of the Council of the Federation (the Upper House of the Parliament).
The feast-day’s Vesper service was attended by ambassador of Belarus Mr. Vladimir Chushev as well as by other distinguished guests from public and cultural life of Belgrade.
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The church of Holy Trinity in Belgrade was built by Russian emigrants in 1924 according to the project of Russian architect Vlary Stashevsky with the approval of the Government of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, and with the blessing of Serbian Patriarch Dimitrije. In 1946 the church received the status of Representation of the Russian Orthodox Church in Belgrade, and in 1957 Patriarch Alexy I of Moscow and All Russia visited the Representation and served the Divine Liturgy in the church.
The Holy Trinity church suffered during the NATO bombing in 1999, but in 2007 it was completely renovated and consecrated by the then chairman of the Office for external Church relations of the Moscow Patriarchate Bishop Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad (now Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia).
Since 1950 the head of this church was the eminent pastoral worker among the Russian emigrants, protopresbyter Vitaly Tarasyev, after whose death in 1974, his son protopresbyter Vasily Tarasyev took over this ministry. Since 1998 the head of the Representation has been protopresbyter Vitaly Tarasyev, grandson of the first head of the church.
This church preserves the tomb of General P. N. Vrangel. At the moment at the premises of the Representation there is an exhibition, dedicated to the history of the Russian emigration in Yugoslavia.
