On the day of the celebration of the 284th anniversary of the city of Kizlyar, a five-kilometer procession took place from the Exaltation of the Cross convent to the St. George Cathedral. Despite the rain, more than two thousand believers took part in it. The prayer procession was led by Archbishop Varlaam of Makhachkala and Grozny.
Orthodox believers from different cities and villages of Dagestan and even from neighboring republics gathered together to pass with prayer singing. They were joined by Deputy Prime Minister of Dagestan Vladimir Lemeshko and Deputy Minister for National Policy and Religious Affairs of the Republic of Dagestan Murad Shafiev. The procession passed through the streets of the city with icons of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Honorable and Life-giving Cross of the Lord, the Kazan Mother of God and the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious with a particle of his relics.
Upon the arrival of the procession at the destination - to St. George's Cathedral - Vladyka Varlaam served a litiya at the burial place of the parishioners who died as a result of the attack on the temple of an armed murderer on February 18, 2018. And after that he congratulated all those who came on the City Day.
Murad Shafiev also addressed the participants of the procession. “The Crusade promotes social consolidation, spiritual mobilization of the Orthodox and the unity of peoples. Thanks to the unity and cohesion, the peoples of Dagestan have more than once been able to defend the peace, freedom and territorial integrity of our countries. Traditions of friendship, brotherhood and good neighborliness have existed in our multinational and multi-confessional region from time immemorial. It is they who make Dagestan and, in particular, Kizlyar unique, therefore it is our task to preserve, develop and pass on these traditions to the younger generation ”. The Deputy Minister also recalled the tragic events of February 2018 in Kizlyar, noting that people of different nationalities and religions then responded to human grief as to their own pain.
The religious procession on the City Day took place in Kizlyar on the eve of an important event for the spiritual life of the entire region. From September 29 to October 4, the VI International Youth Forum will be held on the basis of the Caspian sanatorium, which will bring together followers of the main world religions living together in the ancient land of the Caucasus.
