On May 11, 2024, the Saturday of Holy Week, Holy Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem visited the ancient city of Acre, located in the Western Galilee in Israel, a few kilometers north of Haifa. There, the Primate of the Jerusalem Orthodox Church celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the ancient cathedral of the Great Martyr George the Victorious
Jerusalem.
His Beatitude was served by Metropolitan Kyriac of Nazareth, Archbishop Aristarchus of Constantine, and the clergy of the Holy Sepulchre.
The Russian Spiritual Mission in Jerusalem was represented at the Patriarchal service by Hegumen Nikon (Golovko), deputy head of the Russian Spiritual Mission in Jerusalem.
Numerous Arabic-speaking Christians, as well as Russian-speaking Christians — people from outside Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, prayed at the service, the RDM website reported.
The service was attended by a large number of Arabic-speaking Christians, as well as Russian-speaking Christians — people from outside Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, the RDM website reported.
The temple was attended by Consul General of the Russian Federation in Haifa A.N. Budaev, Russian Honorary Consul to Northern Israel Amin Safia, Director of the Israeli Interior Ministry's Department for Christian Communities S. Marji, representatives of the city
The service was celebrated in Greek, Arabic and Slavonic.
The service was conducted in Greek, Arabic and Church Slavonic.
After the Liturgy, a festive procession was held, led by a group of local scouts who played a military march on bagpipes and drums.
On the same day, the head of the RDM archimandrite Vassian (Zmeyev) paid a pastoral visit to the RDM suburb in honor of the Prophet of God Elijah in Haifa, where he presided over the Divine Liturgy.
The head of the RDM was served by Archpriest Miroslav Vitiv, the clergyman of the churchyard, and Deacon Makarii Petukhov, a clergyman of the RDM. Liturgical hymns were sung by the choir of graduates of the Sretensky Theological Seminary.
At the end of the Liturgy there was an Easter procession, then Archimandrite Vassian (Zmeyev) gave a sermon.
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The Cathedral of the Great Martyr George the Victorious was founded in the XVI century and built on the ruins of an ancient Byzantine church. At the entrance to the temple is the tomb of the martyr George Cypriot, who suffered in the XVIII century: by false denunciation, St. George was mercilessly shot by the Turks, who then chopped his breathless body with sabers, but as soon as the blood of the martyr touched the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, a strong storm began; at the request of the Ottomans Christians The body of the saint was buried, and a pillar of light came out of his tomb, which illuminated Acre for several days.
EVCS Communication Service/Patriarchy.ru
