By way of a Christmas
card, here are some images from the Divine Liturgy of Christmas in
Moscow and Sochi yesterday.
First, here is part of
the congregation at the monastery in Sochi where President Putin
worshipped. They are a few metres away from President Putin.
Here is President Putin:
Here is a member of the
choir:
Here is Prime Minister
Medvedev. He is worshipping at Christ the Saviour Cathedral in
Moscow. He is with his wife. We think the children must be theirs. The group is standing in an apse just to the south of the solea (i.e. viewing towards the Royal Doors, to the right of the congregation).
Here is a member of the
congregation at Christ the Saviour. This was taken after the communion service.
The following pictures
were taken at Christ the Saviour before the communion service:
This congregant is
reciting the ‘Our Father’ with the rest of the congregation:
This picture was taken at
about the same time in the service:
This is Patriarch
Kyrillos just before taking communion. Notice the priest in white vestments at the side of the altar to the
viewer’s left. He is holding a paten with a piece of
consecrated bread that has just been handed to him by the Patriarch as part of his
ordination to the priesthood during the service. The cleric standing next to the priest is the Archdeacon.
Here is another
congregant:
Merry Christmas to all
our readers.
Orthodox Monk
(These photos were also
posted as an update to ‘Open Letter to Josh Whedon’.)
