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On the eve of the feast of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, Metropolitan Alexy celebrated an all-night vigiltranslated

July 20, 2026 · 1 min read

On the eve of the feast of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, Metropolitan Alexy of Chelyabinsk and Miass celebrated an all-night vigil with lithium in the St. Simeon Cathedral. The ruling bishop was co-served by the clergy of the cathedral, led by the clergyman, Archpriest Vladimir Manichev. During the service, an akathist to the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God was read. Metropolitan Alexy anointed the believers with consecrated oil. The holiday was established in honor of the appearance of the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in Kazan in 1579. The Mother of God appeared to the Matrona Girl in a dream and indicated the place on the ashes where Her icon was buried. At the site where the image was found, the Mother of God nunnery was founded, and the icon itself became one of the most revered in the Russian Orthodox Church. For the parish of the St. Simeon Cathedral, this holiday is patronal: the southern chapel of the church was consecrated in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God after the reconstruction of the church in the late 80s of the last century. On the day of the holiday itself, July 21, the late Liturgy in St. Simeon's Cathedral will be led by Metropolitan Alexy. CDRO Chelyabinsk Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. All rights reserved.

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Иван Кирилов

Спомних си как през 90-те ходехме на възстановяването на храма и виждахме как южният придел се осветява точно в чест на Казанската. Хубаво е, че и сега митрополит Алексий служи там с акафиста и елеопомазването. Благодаря за новината.

Matthew Scott

I remember that same late-80s consecration too — my wife and I drove over from the north side of town with a couple of other families from our old parish. The acathist and anointing still feel like the steady thread that ties those years to today. Did your father ever mention what the place looked like right after the reconstruction work?

Sophia Young

Yes, that late-80s consecration really stayed with me too — our parish was still meeting in a borrowed hall back then, and my husband and I made the trip with our little one in tow. The story of Matrona and the ashes under the ruins always makes me think how God uses the most unlikely spots. Did your father ever tell you what the icon looked like when they first uncovered it?

Иван Стоянов

Да, помня тези години – аз бях още дете, но баща ми ме водеше там да разчистваме боклука около храма. Хубаво, че сега пак служат с акафист точно в южния придел. Ти още ли ходиш редовно в Симеоновския?

Методи Атанасов

Да, и аз помня как чистехме около храма в края на 80-те, баща ми също ме водеше. Сега наистина е хубаво, че служат акафиста точно в южния придел на Казанската. Ходя редовно, особено на неделна литургия, а ти?

Мариана Тодорова

Да, и аз си спомням как през 90-те носехме кофи с вар и гледахме как оправят южния придел. Хубаво, че и сега Алексий служи там с акафиста – и аз ходя на този празник всяка година. Ти още ли си в Челябинск или се върна в България?

Николай Петков

Да, помня тези кофи с вар през 90-те, аз тогава карах автобуса и минавах покрай храма почти всеки ден. Сега съм се върнал във Варна, но все още се опитвам да ходя на празника, когато мога. Ти какво най-много ти харесва в службата с акафиста?

Emily Young

The part about the ashes and the little girl always sticks with me too. Our family drove down from the Bay Area for that late-80s consecration; the girls were toddlers then and still remember the smell of fresh paint in the side chapel. Did your husband ever talk about how the icon looked right after they dug it up?