The Ark with the relics of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir will arrive in Vitebsk
On June 20, 2015, an ark with the relics of the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, the Baptizer of Rus', will be brought to Minsk from Russia.
Until July 7, residents and guests of Minsk, Brest, Grodno, Mogilev, and Vitebsk will be able to venerate the shrine. This was reported by the press service of the Russian Vasily the Great Foundation, with the support of which the arrival of the ark will become possible.
The event will be held as part of the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the repose of the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir and by the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Kirill. From May 27 to December 1, 2015, residents of 45 cities in Russia and 5 cities in Belarus will be able to see the shrine. The unprecedented action in its scale will begin in Tula and end in Kaliningrad.
The bringing of the relics is organized on the initiative of the Russian Orthodox Church and with the support of the St. Basil the Great Foundation.
Schedule of the shrine's stay in Belarus:
June 20 – Minsk.
June 21 – June 24 – Brest.
June 24 – June 27 – Grodno.
June 27 – July 1 – Minsk.
July 1 – July 4 – Mogilev.
July 4 – July 7 – Vitebsk.
From Vitebsk, the shrine will proceed to Smolensk, from where it will continue its journey through the cities of Russia.
Prince Vladimir was buried on July 15, 1015, in a marble sarcophagus under the vaults of the Church of the Tithes in Kyiv. Subsequently, the church was destroyed, and the sarcophagus with the prince's remains lay under the ruins for a long time until 1635, when, by order of Metropolitan Peter (Mohyla) of Kyiv and Galicia, the ruins were dismantled and the burial was discovered. Then, a part of the great prince's relics was transferred to Moscow to Tsar Michael I, where they were kept in the Dormition Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. During the Soviet period and until recently, the shrine was kept in the collections of the Moscow Kremlin Museums. In 2010, the relics in the original reliquary were solemnly transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church and placed in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow. Since then, the relics have been available for veneration.