Religious procession On that hot and stuffy summer morning, the already quiet area of Khabarovsk, colloquially called the KAF Base (after the Red Banner Amur Flotilla that had recently been quartered here), seemed especially quiet. At ten o'clock in the morning, from the Alexander Nevsky Church along the central street named after Admiral Rudnev, the commander of the legendary "Varyag", the procession of the cross moved - the most significant in recent years. It was timed to coincide with the consecration of the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos - an ancient, rare work that the church recently acquired by the will of fate, and Khabarovsk artists skillfully restored, as well as the 55th anniversary of the foundation of the Alexander Nevsky Church, opened back in 1943, literally - coincidentally-on the eve of the Battle of Kursk. The opening of the church was associated with the spiritual uplift of the people in the holy war against Nazi Germany. Parishioners of the church, according to documents, not only served prayers, but also raised funds by making a contribution to the defense fund in the amount of 38 thousand 259 rubles (a huge figure at that time). In addition, they gave 25 thousand rubles for the construction of the tank column "Dmitry Donskoy", for which the community and the rector of the church received the gratitude of the Supreme Commander. The day before, during a press conference, the rector of the church, Priest Sergiy (Meshcheryakov), stressed that one of the main goals of the procession is to pray for the patronage of the city, our Motherland, and to protect it. It is significant that the icon of the Kazan Mother of God is reputed to be the defender of the Russian land. ...People moved slowly. In front, with church banners and an icon, there are women, all in headscarves, men, sedate, absorbed in themselves. And all the way to the Amur River, a strange and unusual church hymn sounded in our everyday life. It was as if it calmed everything around a ... Читать далее