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Spirit Of Russia

This itinerary has been created to experience landmarks in the history of Russian spirituality in and around Moscow, before travelling on to The Land of St Seraphim, where we will arrive in time to celebrate a major feast.

Pilgrimages - 2013

The Spirit of Russia	Feast	Duration: 9 days
DATES FOR 2013 TO BE SCHEDULED
The Spirit of Russia	Feast	Duration: 9 days
DATES FOR 2013 TO BE SCHEDULED

In and around Moscow In Moscow, we will visit some of the holy sites, including the small chapel in the Danilov Monastery, dedicated to St Seraphim. We will walk in Red Square with St Basil’s Cathedral and the Kremlin, visit the Tretiakov Gallery, including the world famous icon of the Holy Trinity and other icons by Andrei Rublev, visit the Monastery of Martha and Mary, established by Grand Duchess Elisabeth, the granddaughter of Queen Victoria and sister of the Tsarina Alexandra, and take in other cultural and historical sites. You may make an optional excursion to Sergiev Posad where the Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra Monastery is located. Founded in 1345 by St. Sergius of Radonezh this is where his relics lie today. Alternatively you have a free day in which to explore Moscow. In Moscow we will stay in the The Danilov Monastery Hotel (4-star)

In and around Diveyevo Travelling to Diveyevo, a land, both geographic and spiritual, this part of the journey offers a way of deepening the connection between St Seraphim's inner landscape and our own. This land, its monasteries, sketes, villages, and people are living witness:

to one of the greatest outpourings of God's love through his servant, 'poor Seraphim'
to the greatest persecution of Christians of all time
to the remarkable recovery & renewal of Christian witness taking place in Russia since the 1990's.

Here one can experience the glorious Liturgy in the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, where St Seraphim’s relics lie. Based in this region for the next five days we explore the land, its history, culture and spirituality. Sarov itself is a closed city, which it is not possible for visitors to enter.
Here, where the saints’ influence has been great, and in which his image lives in nearly every home, one may bathe in the holy springs, walk the sacred path and discover the villages in which surviving monks and nuns dwelt in hiding during the soviet years, and through whose inhabit- ants, many of the practices and treasures of the monasteries were saved.
On return to Moscow you have the option of relaxing in the famous Kolomenskoye Park one of the most beautiful places in all of Moscow, with its awe-inspiring buildings steeped in history, evoking the Russia of old.... before arriving at Domedova airport for a late afternoon homeward flight.

Sergiev Posad (optional excursion)
The Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra Monastery, one of the greatest of Russian monasteries and today a world heritage site, was founded in 1345 by St. Sergius of Radonezh and is located in Sergiev Posad. This is where the saint’s relics lie today. This monastery has been the single most important spiritual centre in Russia for well over 600 years, and today is a working monastery, Seminary, Theological Academy and place of pilgrimage.See http://www.stsl.ru/languages/en/index.php

KolomenskoyePark (optional excursion)
Archaeological traces have been found here of pre-Slavic civilizations dating back over 2,500 years. A village was founded here in 1237, which, in the 15th-17th centuries, became the estate, first of a Grand Prince and then of the Tsar. Between 1930 and 1959, various examples of wooden architecture from all across Russia were brought here, including Peter the Great’s little house from Archangel. The chief attraction is the stone Church of the Ascension of the Lord, constructed in 1529-1532 by order of Tsar Vasily III to commemorate the birth of his son and heir, Ivan the Terrible. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kolomenskoye_aerial_view-2.jpg

Danilov Monastery Our hotel* is located as part of the Danilov Monastery complex, the oldest monastery in Moscow, founded in 1282 by grand Prince Daniel. It survived as the last working monastery in Russia until 1930. Today it is the venue for international, ecumenical and peace conferences. In 1988, in honour of the millennium of the birth of Christianity in Russia, it became the centre of the Moscow Patriarchate, the Moscow residence of Patriarch Kirill, and a working monastery. See www.msdm.ru/eng/index.htm

To find out more, click pdf logo to download past Pilgrimage Brochure