Get in line with Nicholas. Access for pilgrims to venerate the relics of Nicholas the Wonderworker opened an hour earlier
The line of pilgrims waiting for the opportunity to approach the relics of Nicholas the Wonderworker, exhibited in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, has reached an unprecedented length of eight kilometers - you need to take it already at the Sportivnaya metro station. Estimated waiting time is already 13-14 hours.
The huge number of pilgrims does not scare off new believers, so the line continues to grow. "Its beginning is already near the Sportivnaya metro station and is moving further and further - towards Luzhniki and Sparrow Hills," RIA Novosti quotes Maria Korovina, head of the press center of the organizing committee for bringing the relics of St. Nicholas.
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The organizers note that a huge number of pilgrims arrived from the regions. Only on June 10, 360 buses were registered, of which 262 have already arrived. Those who have such an opportunity were advised to postpone their trip to the relics to a more convenient time.
"We ask the faithful to reschedule the pilgrimage from these public holidays for weekdays"
Priest Alexander Volkov, head of the press service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', spoke about how to try to figure out a more suitable time for worshiping the shrine. “Obviously, more people come on weekends and in good weather, however, when it rains, the number of pilgrims does not decrease dramatically. Such a manifestation of readiness to stand to the end is our Russian trait,” he said in an interview with Russia Today.
"With a fairly large experience in organizing the pilgrimage, except for some of the most obvious conditions related to the weather, everything else is very difficult to predict. For some reason, on some day a lot of people come, and on the same day a week later - ten thousand less. It is difficult to say how this is explained," he said.
“There are general practical recommendations: take a hat, water, comfortable shoes with you and be patient. I would not suggest any specific actions. The main thing is to have time to venerate the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker,” Alexander Volkov added.
Since the relics of Nicholas the Wonderworker, one of the most revered saints in Orthodoxy, were brought to Moscow on May 21, every day there is a many-kilometer line of pilgrims near the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. They came from different parts of Russia to venerate the relics of the saint. There is very little time left for worship; on July 12, the relics of St. Nicholas the Pleasant will be transported to the northern capital.
Pilgrims stand for eight hours, many are dissatisfied, but they perceive all difficulties humbly, as is customary in Orthodoxy.
There are a lot of instructions on the Internet on how to behave better for pilgrims in order to be in time. The main recommendation is to get in line before five in the evening: after this time, this opportunity is closed. Everyone who managed to stand behind gets to the temple before closing - this is around midnight. Despite the fact that over the past month one and a half million people have defended the relics of Nicholas the Wonderworker, there are no fewer people who want to.
How long is the queue today, July 10, 2017
You can follow the movement of the queue to the relics of Nicholas the Wonderworker online on the site of bringing the shrine in Russia.
On the eve of the relics of St. Nicholas in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, 53,300 people visited. In total, during the stay of the shrine in Moscow, 1,687,500 pilgrims bowed to her.
"At this moment 10 July 2017, Moscow time: 15:00 the entrance to the queue for veneration of the relics of St. Nicholas is located at the intersection of Frunzenskaya Embankment and 2nd Frunzenskaya Street. nearest station metro station - "Frunzenskaya"(At the exit from the metro, turn right and go through the underpass to the other side of Komsomolsky Prospekt, then follow 2nd Frunzenskaya Street). Estimated time spent in the queue - more than 10 hours(this estimate is approximate and may change depending on the number of pilgrims)," the latest post on the site says.
Relics in St. Petersburg will receive the Alexander Nevsky Lavra
The relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker will be in St. Petersburg from July 13 to July 28 at the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, at emb. rivers Monastyrki, d.1.
From July 14 to July 27, access to the shrine will be open daily from 7:00 to 22:00 (you need to get in line before 18:00, to have time to get through before the closing of the temple).
Preferential access to the shrine is organized for disabled people of the 1st group who cannot move without technical means (wheelchairs and crutches). Wheelchair users are allowed with one accompanying person. You must have a passport, a certificate of disability, an IPR (individual program of rehabilitation or habilitation) with you. The entrance will be provided by a special ramp.
Infants under two years of age, accompanied by one parent, will be able to enter the cathedral through the southern gate of the Lavra.
A preferential social queue will be formed under the control of representatives of social services from Alexander Nevsky Square near the Gate Church.
The pilgrimage to the relics of St. Nicholas is associated with considerable effort while standing in line. In order to try to get benefit for your soul, it is important to properly prepare for it, to understand how everything will happen.
Being in line is a given that can bring spiritual benefits to the pilgrim. Do not waste time in vain: take with you the text of the akathist to St. Nicholas, the prayer book, the Gospel. While you are waiting, you are already doing work for the sake of approaching the Saint, and he sees and hears you, rejoices in your love and faith. Already in line on the embankment, you can read an akathist, pray in your own words and ask for those who are dear to you and about yourself, informs readweb.org. As experience shows, time will pass faster, and you will have time to thoughtfully ask for everything and everyone.
The queue runs along the embankment of the Moskva River, it is protected by a fence and divided into compartments. This allows people not to stand behind each other's heads and not to rush: when moving from compartment to compartment, it does not matter whether you are at the beginning of the group or at the end.
While in the compartment, you can sit down in a specially parked bus, lean on the fence of the embankment. Some take folding chairs and foam rugs with them.
By blessing His Holiness Patriarch everyone who got in line before it closes (usually at 18.00) will go to the relics on that day. Accordingly, standing in line, you can no longer rush anywhere and not worry.
When we come to the temple (as, indeed, at any other time), we should have a pectoral cross on our chest. It is desirable that the clothes correspond to the traditions of Christian piety: for women - a headscarf (cap, hat - it doesn’t matter), a skirt below the knees, closed shoulders. Men have covered shoulders and knees. However, there is no special control in this regard; everyone is allowed to see the relics. If you come to bow to the shrine, and are not dressed in accordance with the above canons, ask God for forgiveness and boldly go to the temple. More important, of course, is not the form, but your mental attitude.
Take care of your comfort as well. If the day is sunny - bring a hat or panama, sunglasses, sunscreen. Due to the capricious nature of this summer, do not forget an umbrella or raincoat, windbreaker. In cold weather, dress appropriately. If necessary, take with you the medications that you regularly take.
In order to ensure safety, we will not allow to enter the queue with: liquids in glass containers, flammable liquids (including perfumes and deodorants), piercing and cutting objects.
If you go to apply with children - think about what to do with them while waiting. The kid cannot stay in prayer concentration for a long time or just wait. It is important that the pilgrimage remains in his memory as a bright, kind milestone in his life. Take a book for the child, a notebook with pencils. Prepare it: retell the life of St. Nicholas, explain what is happening. Explain what he sees in the temple: who are the priests, why are they wearing such vestments, who is depicted on the icons, etc.
You should be prepared for the fact that they are applied to the relics very quickly. This is justified: if you give each pilgrim at least two or three seconds more time, queuing for others will last twice as long. That is why it is worth devoting prayer while waiting in line.
If you want to attach icons, a pectoral icon to the relics of St. Nicholas, take them in advance in your hand and attach them to the side of the ark in which the relics rest, at the moment when you yourself apply your lips to its upper part.
It is better to write notes for a prayer service performed by the clergy at the relics of St. Nicholas in advance (at home or standing in line). You can serve them in the temple - the points for receiving notes and selling candles are located in such a way that you can approach them both before worship and after it.
What to ask Nicholas the Pleasant
Saint Nicholas of Myra, or as he is also called, Nicholas the Wonderworker, is one of the most revered Christian saints. Thousands of people all over the world turn to him with prayers every day, and many of them leave evidence of how Nicholas the Wonderworker helped in solving their most difficult and difficult problems.
Since ancient times, Nicholas the Wonderworker has been considered the patron saint of travelers and, first of all, sailors. In his life, a case is described: while still a very young man, Saint Nicholas went to study in Alexandria. During the journey on the ship, a tragedy happened: one of the sailors died after falling off the mast. Saint Nicholas began to sincerely pray for him, and to everyone's amazement, the Lord performed a miracle - he resurrected the unfortunate sailor.
Over the past centuries, sailors have collected a lot of evidence of how Nicholas the Wonderworker helps. But land travelers also turn to the saint in their prayers. Even if you just leave the house in the morning and you have a long way to go, it will not be out of place to briefly pray to the saint for a successful journey and return home.
A lot of evidence has been preserved of how St. Nicholas helps in the search for love and family happiness by the most different people from all over the world.
Nicholas the Wonderworker helps all the unjustly condemned. However, those prisoners who know that they deserved the punishment also often turn to him with a request for intercession before God. And Nicholas the Wonderworker helps everyone, because the highest virtue of a Christian, which this saint has always been famous for, is the ability to forgive even those who stumbled on the path of life.
Remembering how powerful the prayer of St. Nicholas has, you can ask him for any help, ask him any question and your voice will be heard!
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The relics of the Christian Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker have been in St. Petersburg for a week now. All these days, the flow of pilgrims to them does not dry out: at other hours, the line to the shrine stretches far beyond the boundaries of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, causing surprise and indignation of pedestrians and motorists. The authorities have created an operational headquarters in the city, designed to ensure safety and comfortable access to the relic for everyone. Every day, the headquarters reports on its work and reports that, on average, people stand in line from half an hour to 3.5 hours. Dialogue doubted this information and sent the most patient correspondent to check how it was to stand in line for the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
What is hammered into an uncomplicated children's head sits firmly there for many years. Having spent just one summer with a believing and devout grandmother, I clearly know how to dress when you go to church. Moreover! I have clothes like this in my wardrobe. Covered knees, shoulders, head covered with a scarf and a complete lack of makeup - I'm ready. My grandmother raised an exemplary Christian. I can't dress up in the temple in any indecent way, even if I really want to.
I devote the morning to the most pressing matters, remembering on the go what I know about this saint. Nicholas the Wonderworker. The patron saint of children, sailors, merchants, archers ... it seems. I don't belong to any of this list. And if I still deserve to the final, what should I ask him for?
I move towards the Lavra. Anticipating possible changes in the metro schedule, I am writing to my colleagues asking if the lobbies of Alexander Nevsky Square are open and, if so, how.
“From July 13 to July 28, the operating hours of the Ploshchad Aleksandra Nevskogo 2 metro station will change. This was reported in the press service of the city subway. The station lobby will be open for passengers from 05:32 to 00:23 on weekdays and weekends.”
OK. As a bonus, they send me a piece of the next press release from the operational headquarters: “Currently, the entrance to the general queue is located at the corner of Chernoretsky Lane and Telezhnaya Street. The nearest metro station is Ploshchad Aleksandra Nevskogo-2. The waiting time in the queue is about 2.5 - 3 hours. Waiting time and finding the beginning of the queue changes all the time during the day. Follow up-to-date information on the website nikola2017.ru. The entrance to the social queue is located at the gate church at the entrance to the Lavra. The waiting time in the social queue is about an hour.”
photo: Ilya Snopchenko / IA Dialog I go to the site of operational information for pilgrims. As of 10:50 a.m., the beginning of the queue has moved a block further than it was stated in the release, to Professor Ivashentsov Street. The predicted waiting time has increased to 4.5-5 hours. E-eh-eh…
At the exit from the metro I meet with the photographer Ilya, and we go to take places. The data of the operational headquarters was confirmed. True, to 11:24 the beginning of the queue went almost to the end of Ivashentsov. We fix this time as the beginning of our pilgrimage.
“M-yes-ah,” says Ilya. — In Soviet times, there were no such queues for shortages.
“Yes, where is it, health, to take?”
Part of the road is fenced off with plastic bumpers. No one stands on the sidewalk, people are distributed between the erected barrier and the decorative fence along the sidewalk.
photo: Ilya Snopchenko / IA Dialog For people with special needs, as I later read in the brochure, a separate queue was organized (apparently the one that was called social in the release). These include wheelchair users, people on crutches, women in the last stages of pregnancy and mothers with babies.
On the way to the line and along it, every 5-10 meters, beggars of all stripes beg for alms. One girl was reprimanded by employees of the National Guard who were on duty along the procession.
At the end, where we stand, the concept of the queue is rather arbitrary: people move forward more like a crowd. There is no clear line. “I took care of that man,” you won’t say. I wonder where the crush is formed?
The first 10 minutes we move quite vigorously, then - with pauses of 3-5 minutes. And people keep coming and going. Fragments of other people's conversations reach me:
- Yes, where can I get it, health?
- I will pray that He will help Zhenya calm down ...
The audience here, offhand, is 35 years and older. There are couples with teenagers and small children. There are dry closets on the sidewalk, and vans selling pastries and water from the side of the roadway.
I go to the site - since 10:50 the information has not been updated.
In general, the event has the scale of a full-fledged city event - the police, an ambulance, the National Guard. Volunteers of the organizations "Orthodox Volunteer" and "Volunteers of the St. Petersburg Diocese" regulate the movement of the queue.
photo: Ilya Snopchenko / IA Dialog Pilgrims discuss household chores and make predictions about the waiting time. Nobody talks about the spiritual. Apparently it's personal. One grandmother next to me is reading a church book.
- 5-6 hours today forecast. We had to arrive at 7 am.
I think, yes. It was necessary to. Although, if I had been in line for two hours, the material probably would not have turned out.
Stops are getting longer and longer. Legs start to wobble. In 50 minutes we walked from the intersection of Ivashentsov and Mirgorodskaya to Blackretz Plaza. Here is the first roadblock. Yes, the queue is not continuous. Throughout the journey, after a couple of hundred meters, there are such barrage checkpoints that allow pilgrims to pass in several batches to the next “compartment”.
After crossing the first cordon, we find ourselves almost at the exit from the metro. Here are the metal railings. They try to climb through them without a queue, but they immediately meet a strong rebuff from those who have been waiting for about an hour, like us.
Here we spend about 15 minutes and begin to move with a brisk step - obviously, to the second checkpoint. Volunteers along the fence distribute forms for notes about health and repose.
photo: Ilya Snopchenko / IA Dialog - And what do they ask Nicholas the Wonderworker for? I ask a girl standing not far from me.
- Well, you think about what you want to ask. About anything. There is no special direction of requests to him.
Volunteers are asked to stand closer to each other, four people in a row, without forming voids in the column. But for now, we are walking quite freely, without violating the personal space of our neighbors. Unbeknownst to ourselves, we pass the second checkpoint and stand at the walls of the Lavra. Exactly one hour has passed. The speed of movement definitely inspires optimism.
I go to the site. There was a summary for 12:00 (on my watch 12:44 ): waiting time is about 5 hours. The beginning of the queue is on Ivashentsova street. Basically, where we started from.
IN 12:50 We go to the territory of the Lavra. Here the mood of the audience changes. Before us, from somewhere, other people appear, not at all those with whom we stood before. I take the “Pilgrim’s Memo” and quietly read aloud: “Standing and waiting in line should be taken as a small pilgrimage to Italy, to the city of Bari, the place from where part of the relics of the Wonderworker Nicholas was transferred to Russia for temporary worship by Orthodox Christians.”
photo: Ilya Snopchenko / IA Dialog “If you go to apply with children, think about what to do with them while waiting. The kid cannot stay in prayer concentration for a long time or just wait. It is important that the pilgrimage remains in his memory as a bright, kind milestone in his life. Take a book for the child, a notebook with pencils. Prepare it: retell the life of St. Nicholas, explain what is happening. Explain what he sees in the temple: who are the priests, why are they wearing such vestments, who is depicted on the icons.
I would not refuse such an excursion either.
“You should be prepared for the fact that the relics are applied very quickly. This is justified: if you give each pilgrim at least two or three seconds more time, queuing for others will last twice as long. That is why it is worth devoting prayer while waiting in line.”
Here it is, the eternal catch of a long wait.
Ilya with might and main comments on what he heard. We are remarked:
People around are praying. Here you need about the saint, but about the worldly - in another place.
"Take care of your bags and wallets"
IN 13:15 we're moving on to the next post. Here, the pass is no longer carried out by volunteers, but by employees of the National Guard, police, and riot police. We are warned: “Take care of your bags and wallets. Don't forget that you are in the crowd. Not everyone came here to pray.” Geographically, we almost caught up with the cathedral. But... the line does not go straight, but winds in zigzags throughout the territory of the Lavra. The elbow is close, but you won’t bite ...
If it was hot in the square outside the Lavra, then it was very cold inside in the shade of tall trees. I'm dressed lightly, and obviously freezing will be another test for me. The queue freezes after each stop for 20 minutes, but, starting to move, it passes about 30 meters at a time.
photo: Ilya Snopchenko / IA Dialog As we approach the next checkpoint, it begins to rain, umbrellas open over the crowd. But the cold wind subsides. In total, on this segment, let's call it "Garden", I stand for about an hour and a half. And since the beginning of my pilgrimage, three and a half years have already passed. The information on the site has not changed since 12:00.
People crawl out from under the fence, stretch their legs. There are a lot of older people, but everyone is doing great. The faces of the neighbors have already become familiar, and we are guided by each other. For example, two lovely grandmothers are guided by me. They call me "beige skirt". They praise that I'm the only one here, who has a floor-length skirt. It's always nice to please good people. They bring news from volunteers - to stand for another hour and a half. On the clock 14:35 .
"Only with us and only here"
Along the crowd there are also church shops - candles, icons, prayer books and other paraphernalia.
The line circled the garden and slowly approached the church building, turning like a snake towards those who had just entered the gate.
We are getting closer and closer to each other. The closer to the end, the longer the pauses and the shorter the dashes. Everyone behaves very decently, they do not run ahead, trying to keep the order. They say that there were almost no people on the weekends, so few people expected such a stir on weekdays. However, many have folding chairs with them. After resting themselves, the owners invite everyone else to sit.
photo: Ilya Snopchenko / IA Dialog Ahead is a large emergency vehicle. It seems they are setting up a field kitchen. The crowd jokes that this is all for the sake of appearances - they say, so that you can later say that there was a kitchen. So it seems to be - having attached the kitchen to the car, the Ministry of Emergency Situations drove off somewhere behind our backs.
Father appears to my right. Individuals from the crowd rush to him for advice and blessings.
- Also, what, come up? a neighbor asks me.
“Sure, come on,” I tell her.
15:30 . The queue returned to where it was almost 2 hours ago - to the post with the police, the National Guard and OMON. In my opinion, grace has already descended on me. I don't feel like killing the dear editor who sent me here. I want to hit yesterday's self in the head, who agreed to this experiment.
I'm starting to wonder why during church services from time to time kneel - to give rest to the legs. I'm ready to fall.
photo: Ilya Snopchenko / IA Dialog Having passed the gate, we turn on the high speed (we go around the temple along the embankment of the Monastyrka River). There is very little left. The frames of the metal detectors are already visible, which means I'm close. We pass the local bakery, from where it smells breathtakingly of monastic bread. But there is no time, the crowd carries forward-forward-forward.
Suddenly, large drops of cold ... and, excuse me, holy water are flying into my face. One of the priests sprinkles the crowd with the words "Christ is Risen!" Um… a bit out of place, I think.
15:47 passed the metal detector. Let them in in batches with their bags open for inspection. From there I enter the inner garden. Before entering the temple itself, 150-200 meters. On the other side of the fence, already attached pilgrims are walking towards. Another priest runs past us, warning everyone to be ready for the sacrament in advance - inside everything happens very, very quickly. Notes are advised to submit after the application, at the exit, in order to avoid unnecessary fuss.
There is a big debate about how to apply pectoral crosses- to remove from the neck or not to remove? The memo says to hold the cross in your hand and apply it to the side of the shrine, and the volunteers say not to take it off the neck ... and who to believe? Of course, I have a cross with me. If my mother finds out that I went without a cross, I will not be happy.
photo: Ilya Snopchenko / IA Dialog 16:11 I am on the threshold of the temple. But this does not mean that the relics. Here is exactly the same winding snake queue as in the previous stages. At the entrance, everyone is given paper icons, previously attached to the relics.
Everything looks normal enough. I mean for the temple. There is a service, the choir sings. If I got right here, by chance, past the queue, and didn’t know that people were going to bow to the great shrine, I would never have guessed.
From the entrance to the temple to the very ark, we are instructed by volunteers. "Sisters" to erase lipstick. You need to be baptized in advance, before approaching cancer. The general stream will be divided into two small streams - two people should approach the relics, from one side and the other. Volunteers are also on duty near the shrine itself. A little behind them is a broad-shouldered guy in a formal suit, with an “Employee” badge. I will not run up and get the camera.
photo: Ilya Snopchenko / IA Dialog Volunteers regulate traffic near the ark. They literally put you where you need to, show you exactly where to kiss, count down one second, tear you away from the ark and push you towards the exit.
As far as I can see, the cancer is large, opaque. The sides are trimmed with wood, and on the lid there is a large icon of the Wonderworker. When it's my turn, I lean over the relic. The smell of incense and some other incense hits the nose. R-r-r-time! Your second has passed. A quick sweep of the cloth over the lid. Next!
16:20 . I left the temple. My pilgrimage lasted four minutes to five hours.
Prepared by Ksenia Oliferko / IA Dialog
On Thursday, the relics of Nicholas the Wonderworker were brought to the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. DP looked at Moscow's experience of standing in line at a shrine that could help reduce the time spent waiting to venerate relics in St. Petersburg.
On Thursday, July 13, the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker arrived at the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, which were exhibited in Moscow from May 22 to July 12. In the morning, the Christian shrine in the Church of the Annunciation was met by the vice-governor of the city and the speaker of the Legislative Assembly. And a queue of others wishing to touch the relics began to gather at the cathedral since the evening of July 12, despite the fact that it was planned to open access for believers only at 16:00 on Thursday.
All night long, a line of about 1,000 people stood at the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, however, according to the experience of the capital, this can hardly be considered a line - there, at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, where the left rib of the saint was also exposed, tens of thousands of people were lining up who wanted to venerate the relics.
But if in Moscow everyone lined up in a single queue, then in St. Petersburg, in order to avoid a crush, it was decided to break the queue into the following segments: Telezhnaya Street accommodates about 2.7 thousand people, Professor Ivashentsov Street - about 1 thousand, Mirgorodskaya Street - 1 .3 thousand, Kremenchug street - 5.5 thousand. At the same time, about 15 thousand people can stand in line. Its length will be 4 km. Now, according to the correspondent of "DP", it looks like it can be seen on the map.
Despite the differences in the organization of access to the relics in St. Petersburg and Moscow, "DP" analyzed the experience of the capital and tells what days it was easiest to get to the shrine.
In the capital, those who traditionally wish to venerate the relics of St. Nicholas of Myra waited the longest time for this opportunity on Saturdays: then the time of standing in line could reach 10, 12 hours or even more. On Saturday, June 10, for example, in the middle of the day, the waiting time was 13-14 hours, and the queue length reached 8 km. On this day, more than 385 buses with pilgrims from different dioceses arrived at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The organizers also associated the increase in waiting time in line on other Saturdays with a large influx of visitors from the regions and asked Muscovites, if possible, to choose another day to visit the temple. On weekdays and Sundays, in fact, one had to stand in line much less. In different periods, the waiting time was 3.5-6 hours, that is, several times less than on peak Saturdays.
How long did Muscovites spend in line at the relics of Nicholas the Wonderworker in different days
