In the communities of St. Petersburg, there were celebrations to commemorate All Saints Week. With the blessing of metropolitan Korniliy, a celebratory episcopal service was headed by bishop Vikentiy, the bishop of Yaroslavl-Kostroma.
This year, All Saints Week was celebrated on June 2-3. This holiday is widely celebrated in the communities of the St. Petersburg and Tver diocese and traditionally attracts many guests from different cities of Russia – Moscow, Kostroma, Nizhny Novgorod, Rzhev and others. This year’s celebration was led by bishop Vikentiy.
On Saturday morning, bishop Vikentiy, accompanied by archpriest Gennadiy Chunin (from the Pokrovsky community) and father Igor Karvanen (from the Ligovsky community), prayed a litiya service at the Gromovsky cemetery near the cross that was installed on the site where, until the 1930s, the Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God was located.
At the same cemetery was the Intercession Cathedral, which was designed by architect N.G. Martyanov in the style of Suzdal architecture and accommodated 2000 people.
The magnificent monument of architecture of the 20th century was blown up in 1935.
The Gromovsky Old Believers’ cemetery was founded in the first half of the 19th century by the merchants Gromovs, who were the largest forest suppliers. Here was formed a true Old Believer center, similar to the Rogozhsky settlement in Moscow. By the beginning of the last century, it included more than a dozen buildings, including three churches. In the cemetery part of this complex, water canals passed through. This is now preserved as a pond, which used to be clean running water and where the ceremony of the blessing of holy water was held. Near the pond, you can see the ruins of the crypt-tomb of the Smirnov merchants, where for a while the Old Believers gathered for prayer, after the churches of the Gromovsky cemetery were destroyed.
Near the place where the Church of the Dormition was located, on the so-called episcopal elevation, there are episcopal burial plots. Nowadays, in the territory of this now city cemetery, there is a specific area in which Old Believers’ burials still take place.
After the litiya service, bishop Vikentiy addressed those present with a sermon, noting the special significance of the commemoration of the departed:
“We need to visit this quiet and peaceful place, pray for our departed relatives, brothers and sisters, and also educate the young generation from an early age, this zeal to pray for our loved ones, because it is in prayer, in the Lord, that we achieve this church unity and we help each other in the salvation of our souls.”
After the litiya, the Old Believers visited the Alexander Nevsky Lavra (monastery), where they paid homage to the shrine of the holy prince St. Alexander Nevsky.
Later in the day, an evening episcopal service was held in the Trinity Church of the Ligovsky community and the choir of the Ligovsky community sang festively.
On Sunday, an episcopal Liturgy was held in the Intercession Church. During the reading of The Hours, Vladimir Medvedyev was appointed into the rank of a reader.
Bishop Vikentiy served with the rector of the Intercession Church, archpriest Gennadiy Chunin, the rector of the Trinity Church, father Igor Karvanen, deacon Alexander Devin (Rybinsk), as well as readers and light-bearers from St. Petersburg and Kostroma.
The solemn divine service was performed with the harmonious singing of the male and female choirs of the Intercession community. It is worth noting that in the St. Petersburg communities, much attention is paid into advancing singing skills and studying the singing notes of the Old Russian Orthodox liturgical
