Representatives of the Local Orthodox Churches participate in the festivities for the Hodegitria icon of Our Lady of Smolensk

Communications Service of the DECR, 13.08.2026.

On 10^th August 2026 on the day of honouring the Hodegitria (‘She Who Shows The Way’) icon of Our Lady of Smolensk a festive Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Dormition Cathedral of Smolensk.

The festive service, which was the culmination of the solemnities, was headed by the metropolitan of Minsk and Zaslava and Patriarchal exarch for all Belarus Benjamin, the metropolitan of Gorlovka and Slavyansk Mitrophanes, the metropolitan of Saransk and Mordova Zenobius, the metropolitan of Smolensk and Dorogobuzh Isidore, the archbishop of Vitebsk and Orsha Demitrius, the archbishop of Bezhetsk and Udomlya Callistratus, the bishop of Rzhev and Toropets Siluan, the bishop of Zheleznogorsk and Lgov Paisius, the bishop of Klintsy and Trubochevsk Vladimir, the bishop of Roslavl and Desnogorsk Meletius, the bishop of Schigry and Manturovo Theognostus, and the bishop of Vyazma and Gagarin Alexius, reports the website of the Smolensk metropolitanate.

Concelebrating with the archpastors were the representatives of the Local Orthodox Churches: the representative of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia to the Patriarchal Throne of Moscow archimandrite Seraphim (Shemyatovsky) and the representative of the Orthodox Church in America to the Patriarchal Throne of Moscow archpriest Daniel Andrejuk, as well as professor at the department of church history and canon law and head of the doctoral department at the Ss. Cyril and Methodius Institute for Post-graduate Studies archpriest Alexei Marchenko, the rector of the memorial Church of All Saints in Minsk archpriest Fedor Povny, numerous clergy from various dioceses of the Moscow Patriarchate.

Among those praying at the service were representatives of the federal and regional authorities, participants of the international procession of the cross in honour of the icon from Vitebsk, many pilgrims and guests of the city.

At the conclusion of the Liturgy a prayer service was celebrated for the Most Holy Mother of God. The bishops, priests and laymen and laywomen went on a procession of the cross with the Hodegitria icon of Our Lady of Smolensk. After the procession in the Dormition Cathedral the clergy and laity sang collectively the hymn ‘O Most Good Queen’, after which there were prayers addressed to the Most Holy Queen of Heaven. ‘Many Years’ were then sung to His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’ Kirill with the God-saved flock of the Russian Orthodox Church, the authorities, warriors and Russian people.

The participants of the solemnities for the Smolensk icon were greeted by the metropolitan of Minsk and Zaslava Benjamin. The metropolitan read out the Patriarchal message of greetings in honour of the Smolensk icon of Our Lady.

Then the participants of the Hodegitria festivities were addressed by the metropolitan of Smolensk and Dorogobuzh Isidore.

The governor of the Smolensk region V. N. Anokhina also greeted those present.

At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy a festive concert was held on the territory of the Dormition Cathedral.

Photos from the websites of the Smolensk metropolitanate and the Moscow metochion of the Orthodox Church in America.

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Representatives of the Local Orthodox Churches participate in the festivities for the Hodegitria icon of Our Lady of Smolensk

Patriarch

Department Chairman

Sermons

Patriarch

Department Chairman

Sermons