{"id":247335,"date":"2019-08-07T19:03:02","date_gmt":"2019-08-07T16:03:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/?p=247335"},"modified":"2019-08-07T19:03:02","modified_gmt":"2019-08-07T16:03:02","slug":"sarov-cathedral-consecrated-during-feast-of-st-seraphim","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/sarov-cathedral-consecrated-during-feast-of-st-seraphim\/","title":{"rendered":"Sarov Cathedral consecrated during feast of St. Seraphim"},"content":{"rendered":"

His Beatitude Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia traveled to the Sarov and Diveyevo Monasteries for the celebration of the feast of the uncovering of the great saint\u2019s relics, which was augmented by the spiritual joy of the consecration of a new place of worship.<\/strong><\/p>\n

His Beatitude arrived to the Nizhny Novgorod Metropolis on the eve of the feast, accompanied by a number of other hierarchs and clergy, and was greeted at the holy gates of the Holy Dormition-Sarov Monastery by His Eminence Metropolitan George of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas, the abbot and brotherhood of the monastery, local metropolitan clergy, and a number of local officials, Orthochristian reports.<\/p>\n

Pat. Kirill then proceeded to celebrate the Great Consecration of the Holy Dormition Cathedral of the Sarov Hermitage, followed by the first Divine Liturgy on the newly-consecrated altar, concelebrated by 14 other hierarchs and a number of local clergy.<\/p>\n

At the end of the service, Met. George of Nizhny Novgorod presented Pat. Kirill with a cross from the Sarov Hermitage made in the first third of the 18th century and containing 73 relics, as well as an icon of the appearance of the Mother of God to St. Seraphim.<\/p>\n

A Church of the Holy Dormition was built on the same spot in 1744, remaining until 1951, when it was blown up by the godless soviets.<\/p>\n

The monastery had been closed in 1925 and the monks faced persecution from the Bolsheviks, many being executed.<\/p>\n

During World War 2, the monastery buildings were used as factories for producing BM-13 \u201cKatyusha\u201d rocket launchers.<\/p>\n

As the cathedral began to deteriorate, the soviets blew it up, claiming it was in danger of collapsing from the explosions conducted at the production sites of the nuclear center that had been established.<\/p>\n

The rebuilding of the cathedral began in the spring of 2016, and Pat. Kirll consecrated the foundation stone on August 1 that year.<\/p>\n