His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia celebrated the rite of consecration of the restored Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God on the territory of the Theotokos Monastery in the capital city of Tatarstan on July 21. The consecration coincides with the feast of the Appearance of the Kazan Icon in 1579. The cathedral was restored over the course of 5 years, nearly identical to the original form of the cathedral that was blown up by the godless authorities on May 4, 1932.

The festivities began the night before with the celebration of the All-Night Vigil at the Annunciation Cathedral in the Kazan Kremlin. The venerated copy of the Kazan Icon, which returned to the city from the Vatican in 2005, was displayed for the veneration of the faithful. The events on July 21 began with a traditional procession with the copy of the Kazan Icon from the Annunciation Cathedral to the Kazan-Theotokos Monastery, at the site where the Kazan Icon originally appeared. The icon will permanently remain in the iconostasis of the right altar of the Kazan Cathedral. “From this icon comes the power of grace. The grace of God, joy, and love are poured out on everyone who opens his heart to the Queen of Heaven,” said His Eminence Metropolitan Kirill of Kazan.

Pat. Kirill also arrived in Kazan this morning together with His Eminence Metropolitan Dionysiy of Vozkresensk to celebrate the consecration of the restored cathedral and the Divine Liturgy. The consecration and Liturgy, celebrated by Pat. Kirill, Met. Dionysiy, Met. Kirill, and several other hierarchs was broadcast live. Watch the video of the service here.

“Today we consecrated the cathedral, rebuilt on the site where the wonderworking icon was found, known throughout the world as the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God,” the Patriarch said in an address to the faithful. “We are standing in a majestic church, built with the people’s funds, built precisely because the people wanted it. Today we are witnesses to how this majestic cathedral was consecrated in a place where no manifestations of religious life were expected, as a monument to the spirit, courage, and faith of our people,” he emphasized.

The collection of donations was carried out by the Republican Fund for the Revival of Historical and Cultural Monuments of Tatarstan. More than $36 million (2.7 billion rubles) were raised for the reconstruction of the cathedral, reports Interfax-Religion. “That means this whole stupid fight was in vain, accompanied by deaths, imprisonment, and the suffering of the people. It was impossible to stifle the sprouts of spiritual life,” His Holiness reflected. After the service, the Russian primate donated an ancient icon of the Znamenny Mother of God. (Quelle: www.orthochristian.com, 21. Juli 2021)