« The Great Holy Relic of the Christian World, a Fragment of the Holy Cross of our Lord has been brought to the Cathedral of the Dormition »
02-12-2013 
On Saturday 30th November, the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God was honoured to receive a fragment of the Holy Cross of our Lord. This is the first time that this sacred relic has been brought to England from Jerusalem.
The Holy Relic was borne into the Cathedral at 3 pm by His Eminence Archbishop Isidoros of Hierapolis and His Eminence Archbishop Elisey of Sourozh in the presence of the clergy and a great multitude of the faithful. A Moleben and Akathist to the Holy Cross was celebrated, after which the veneration of the Cross continued until late in the evening.
On the following day Archbishop Isidoros presided at the Divine Liturgy, at which many people confessed and received Holy Communion, some for the first time for many years. In his greeting, Archbishop Elisey asked Archbishop Isidoros to convey his profound gratitude to His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III and the Holy Synod of the Church of Jerusalem for blessing the visit of the relic of the Holy Cross. In turn, Archbishop Isidoros expressed his happiness in celebrating the Hierarchical Liturgy together with Archbishop Elisey, whom he knew well from the time when he was the Archimandrite in charge of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem.
On Monday December 2nd, a Panikhida followed by a Moleben to the Cross and the Holy Royal Martyrs was celebrated in connection with the 400-year celebration in London of the Russian imperial dynasty of the Romanovs. The services were attended by the Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirova Romanova, Head of the Russian Imperial Family.
The fragment of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord is being taken to Manchester, Liverpool, and Oxford, after which it will return to the capital city. The itinerary can be found here.
Photogallery 'Moleben to the Holy Cross'
Photogallery 'Holy Cross. Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral'
Photogallery '400th anniversary of the Russian imperial house of the Romanovs'