Moscow hosted a large-scale celebration of the 200th anniversary of Russia’s victory in the 1812 Patriotic War over the weekend. Along with government-sponsored events, all Russian Orthodox churches held prayers in memory of the war dead. Patriarch Kirill led a liturgy on the scene of the Battle of Borodino outside Moscow.
The commemorative events honoring Russian soldiers who lost their lives in the Battle of Borodino 200 years ago began early in the morning on September 8th . Patriarch Kirill addressed the believers with a prayer of gratitude in commemoration of thousands of Russians who died defending their Fatherland.
"Today we bow low to the heroism of those who fell in the battle, as we try to follow them in their loyalty to God, their people, their Fatherland. If we retain this loyalty, we’ll retain a great impregnable force and will be able to defend our Fatherland, rising from strength to strength. Loyalty is the ability to move forward regardless of the dangers, death threats, temptations, influences, and other hazards; it’s the ability to move forward for sacred purposes."
Like two centuries ago, the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God was brought to the Borodino field. Patriarch Kirill spoke about the icon in his address.
"This is the same image that Field-Marshal Kutuzov and the entire Russian Army worshipped on this field before the battle. They prayed to the Smolensk Mother of God for protection and She heard them and brought Holy Rus under Her protective wing. Today, we pray to the Queen of Heaven for delivering us from enmity, evil will and other kinds of dissent so that inspired by the same holy agenda of serving our Motherland we could follow the path of life translating our god-fearing forefathers’ dreams into practice."
Festivities in honor of the 1812 war jubilee continued in Moscow on September 9th . The Cathedral of Christ Our Savior hosted a Diocesan Divine Liturgy, Procession of the Cross, and a prayer to the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God.
Crowds of believers came to honor the memory of those killed in the Battle of Borodino at the Cathedral of Christ Our Savior. Defying pelting rain, people stood in the street as the Cathedral cannot hold more than 10,000. Patriarch Kirill said that this year’s celebration acquired particular importance.
"200 years ago, a commander who was absolutely unaware of the Christian tradition, a man who disclaimed God, invaded Russia. On seeing that each village had a church and each city had shrines, he swore to enslave the Russian nation and destroy our faith. The invaders vandalized churches, dumped icons, sawed off crosses, and destroyed Orthodox insignia, which meant the basics of our existence. Feeling the danger looming over them, the Russian people began to unite, forgetting about the sorrows of their everyday life and bridging social and economic divisions within the society."
The nationwide celebration of the 200th anniversary of Russia’s victory in the 1812 Patriotic War was designed to remind people of the valiance of Russian soldiers in that war and consolidate Russian Orthodox believers in defense of their faith.
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