More Than 2,000 Pilgrims Join Procession With Wonderworking Icon in Russia

TUTAYEV, RUSSIA — More than 2,000 Orthodox faithful participated in the annual procession with the revered icon of the the All-Merciful Savior in Tutayev, Yaroslavl Province, continuing a centuries-old tradition centered on one of the region's most venerated sacred images.

The procession, held on the right bank of the Volga River in Tutayev, commemorates the return of the icon from Rostov to Romanovo-Borisoglebsk, the city's historic name, during the 18th century. Accompanied by church bells and liturgical hymns, participants traveled approximately five miles, making stops at several churches and community institutions, including a mercy center, a district hospital, a veterans' home, an Orthodox school, and the city's cemetery.

The icon of the All-Merciful Savior, which resides in the Resurrection Cathedral of Tutayev, is remarkable both for its spiritual significance and its physical dimensions. Measuring approximately 10.5 feet high and 9 feet wide, the image requires at least 30 people to carry. According to local tradition, the icon was painted in the early 15th century by St. Dionysius of Glushitsa for the Boris and Gleb Church in Romanovo-Borisoglebsk.

Believers have long regarded the icon as wonderworking, attributing healings and answered prayers to its intercessions. One of the distinctive features of the annual procession is the opportunity for pilgrims to pass beneath the icon at designated stops, using a specially designed metal framework that supports the massive image while allowing access for the faithful.

The procession on the right bank takes place annually on the tenth Sunday after Pascha, coinciding with the patronal feast of the Resurrection Cathedral. A second procession with the same icon is traditionally held each year on the city's left bank on the eve of the feast of the Prophet Elijah.

Previously, the UOJ reported that a Georgian pilgrimage marked 1,700 years of Christianity.