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Celebrations dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Appearance of Christ the Savior took place in Elistatranslated

September 13, 2026 · 1 min read

Celebrations dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Appearance of Christ the Savior in Elista took place on September 10, 2026 in the capital of Kalmykia with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus'.

The festive events began with the meeting of the revered icon “The Appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ to Those Praying in the City of Elista,” which, as part of a general diocesan religious procession dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Appearance of Christ the Savior, was brought to the parishes and regional centers of Kalmykia. The clergy and believers met the shrine at the intersection of Lenin Street and Rodnikovoy Lane, after which the icon was transferred to the Church of the Exaltation of the Cross - the site of the Appearance of Christ the Savior in 1946.

The Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the Kazan Cathedral of Elista. The service was performed by Archbishop Justinian of Elista and Kalmykia, Metropolitan Matthew of Pskov and Porkhov, Metropolitan Nikon of Astrakhan and Kamyzyak, and Bishop Theodorit of Venev, vicar of the Tula diocese.

The clergy of the Tula, Rostov-on-Don, Stavropol, Volgograd, Astrakhan, Pskov and Elista dioceses served with the bishops. Among the concelebrants were the military priest of the All-Great Don Army, the head of the Rostov-on-Don department...

Source: Ростовская-на-Дону епархия · Read the full story →

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Cristina Ionescu

Thanks for the article. It caught my attention that the icon was met exactly at the intersection of Lenin and Rodnikovî, then taken directly to the church where Christ appeared in '46. Interestingly, bishops also came from Tula and Pskov - how was their journey to Elista organized?

Anca Munteanu

Yes, I also found the exact choice of that Lenin–Rodnikov intersection interesting, as if it symbolically connects the Soviet past with the place of appearance. As for the bishops of Tula and Pskov, they probably came by car through Volgograd, the road is usual for them to such great shrines. Have you ever been to Elista before?