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“The memory of this power died with noise”translated

July 12, 2026 · 1 min read

On July 12, 2026, on the 6th Sunday after Pentecost, the day of remembrance of the glorious and all-praised supreme apostles Peter and Paul, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the historical imperial Cathedral of the Apostles Peter and Paul of the Peter and Paul Fortress St. Petersburg. At the end of the service, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church addressed the believers with the First Hierarch’s word.

Your Eminence, Metropolitan! Dear rulers, fathers, brothers and sisters!

I cordially congratulate everyone on this great holiday for the city of St. Petersburg and, of course, for the entire Universal Church!

This day has always been especially celebrated in the northern capital of Russia, because this city was named in honor of the Supreme Apostle Peter, and special worship was given to him here. It was no coincidence that the first emperor also bore the name Peter. Of course, in many ways it was the name of the emperor that led to the fact that the capital was dedicated to the memory of the Apostle Peter.

All these circumstances associated with the origin and comprehensive strengthening of church life here, on the banks of the Neva, with the creation of the Northern capital, are a very important page in our national and church history, history...

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💬 Comments (11) 🌐 Show original

Jan Novák

I remember years ago my husband and I stood in that Peter and Paul Cathedral and looked at the graves of those tsars. And now I read the patriarch talking about the memory of that power "passing away with a noise" - that resonates with me quite a bit. It is good that at least the liturgy continues to be served there.

Teuta Nako

I am thinking of those tombs of the tsars that Jan Novák mentions – when we serve in the church, we see how quickly the power of the people passes. The Patriarch spoke well, but what remains is the Liturgy that continues to be held there, as is also done here in Gjirokastra.

Даниела Христова

I remembered how years ago I was leading a school group on a field trip to the Peter and Paul Fortress and we were standing right in front of these royal tombs. The patriarch well said about the memory of power that it "died with noise" - one sees how quickly only stone and names remain. And the Liturgy continues, that is the most important thing.

Сергей Белов

I, too, was in that cathedral a couple of years ago, stood at the tombs of the Romanovs and thought: how much noise there was during my lifetime, but all that remained was stone and silence. The Patriarch accurately said about “the memory of this government perishing noisily.” It’s good that the Liturgy is still going on there, just like in our Sunday school during the Liturgy.

George Wright

Yeah, that line about the memory of power perishing with a noise really hits when you stand in front of those Romanov tombs like Jan and Sergei described. I remember visiting the cathedral a few years back on a hike through Petersburg and thinking the same — all that imperial pomp, now just stone and names. Glad the Liturgy keeps going there anyway, same as at our youth group here.

Stefan Popović

I was there two years ago on an excursion, I stood right in front of those imperial tombs of the Romanovs, as did Jan Novák. The patriarch reminded well of those words "remember this power of destruction with the forest" - one can see how much remains only stone and names. It's good that the Liturgy still goes there, as it does here on St. Peter's Day.

Елена Васильева

Yes, Sergei, I, too, was in the Peter and Paul Cathedral three years ago, just on the eve of Peter and Paul. I stood by the same slabs and thought: all this imperial pomp is gone, but the Liturgy remains - just like in our school on Sundays. I wonder at what point during your service you were there?

Sotir Nako

Yes, Teuta, the tombs of those tsars in Petropavlovka have made me think the same way - how quickly power disappears with a bang, as the title says. I liked that you said that the Liturgy continues to be held there, as we do every Sunday in Korça; that's what really remains. Have you ever been to that church during a service?

Тимофей Соколов

Yes, Sergei, he definitely noticed about the noise and the stone. I was in the same cathedral in 2018, just after the service, I stood with the Romanovs - the silence was such that you could even hear the echo of the steps. And in our Sunday school Liturgy, by the way, is also always calm and to the point, without unnecessary things. What time of year did you go there?

Наталья Макарова

Yes, Timofey, there really is a special silence in that cathedral - I remember when I got there in the fall of 2019, the leaves were already turning yellow, and inside only the candles were crackling. In our Ekaterinburg Sunday school there is also no fuss, the children stand quietly. Do you often travel to St. Petersburg or mostly to local churches?

Ольга Смирнова

Yes, Natalya, the Peter and Paul Cathedral is really so quiet that you can even hear the candles. In our Sunday school in Samara, children also try not to make noise, especially during the Liturgy. In what year did you attend school in Yekaterinburg with your children?