An ark with part of the Belt of the Blessed Virgin Mary will arrive in Omsktranslated

From October 14 to 16, 2026, in the city of Omsk there will be an ark with a particle of the Belt of the Most Holy Theotokos and particles of the holy relics of the righteous Joachim and Anna, the parents of the Mother of God.

The ceremonial meeting of the shrine will take place on October 14 at 9:00 in the St. Nicholas Cossack Cathedral. The Divine Liturgy on the Feast of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos will be led by Metropolitan Dionysius.

Prayers with an akathist will be held daily near the ark.

(detailed schedule of Divine Services is on the cards)

The Belt of the Blessed Virgin Mary is one of the greatest shrines associated with the life of the Blessed Virgin. She Herself wove it from camel hair and wore it until Her Dormition. The heirs of two widows who received the Belt from the Mother of God, the shrine was passed down from generation to generation, and from the 4th century it was in Constantinople, enclosed in a golden ark with the royal seal and placed in the Blachernae church. In the 10th century, the Belt, already famous for its miracles, was divided into parts. One of them is now kept on Mount Athos, in the Vatopedi monastery.

In 2011, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the Kazan Cathedral, a piece of the Belt was transferred for eternal storage to St. Petersburg, where many people flock daily...