The delegation of the Serbian Orthodox Church visited the shrines of Kazakhstan

On December 5-8, 2023, at the invitation of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, the hierarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Bishop Hesychius of Valevka, visited the shrine of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan.

Bishop Hesychius was accompanied on the pilgrimage by the secretary of the Valevka diocese, priest Philip Yakovlevich and deacon Dimitrevich Momchilo.

With the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, a large program was organized for the guests, including worship of holy places and acquaintance with the historical and cultural sights of the Metropolitan District.

The excursion to the shrines of the Alma-Ata diocese began with a visit to the cathedral in the name of St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia. Members of the delegation prayed in front of the honorable relics of the heavenly patron of Kazakhstan - the holy confessor Nicholas, Metropolitan of Alma-Ata, bowed to the shrines of the oldest temple of the southern capital, including the relics of the great martyr and healer Panteleimon, the saint and wonderworker Nicholas, the great martyr Barbara. The dean of the city church district, rector of the cathedral, Archpriest Valery Zakharov, spoke about the life of the parish, the work of the Central Sunday School, the activities of the social and charitable service “Mercy” and the projects of the pilgrimage department.

After this, the guests arrived at the Ascension Cathedral, which is the spiritual and cultural pearl of Semirechye. The keymaster of the main church of the southern capital, Archpriest Alexander Suvorov, informed Bishop Hesychius about the history of the cathedral, its shrines and the unique features of the church’s architecture. The priest emphasized that all work was carried out at a high professional level by highly qualified specialists under the control of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic. The guests offered prayers in front of an accurate copy of the Feodorovskaya Icon of the Mother of God, written especially for the Ascension Cathedral by the Honored Artist of the Russian Federation S.N. Sokolov.
Continuing the excursion, the guests visited the church in the name of the blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky, talked with the rector of the church, Archpriest John Lopatin and the parish staff.

On December 7, the delegation got acquainted with the church life of the Kazakhstan capital. The guests were accompanied by the dean of the parishes of Astana, Archimandrite Sergius (Karamyshev). The group visited the Cathedral of Constantine and Helena, where a funeral litany was held for those innocently killed during the years of persecution of the Orthodox Church. Next, the pilgrims met with the confessor of the convent in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “Seeking the Lost,” Hieromonk Modest (Drozdov). The guests visited the church-archaeological museum of the New Martyrs of Kazakhstan at the spiritual and cultural center of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District named after Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius. Archpriest Dmitry Baydek gave a tour of the memorial center dedicated to the victims of political repression who suffered for the Orthodox faith, introduced unique exhibits, photographs and archival documents telling about the history of Orthodoxy in Kazakhstan and the tragic events of the 20th century. Members of the delegation left entries in the book of honored guests.

Continuing the trip, Bishop Isychius, together with his entourage, visited the village of Akmol (Malinovka) in the Tselinograd district of the Akmola region - a place of suffering for tens of thousands of innocently convicted people, mostly women. Here, during the years of mass political repression from 1937 to 1953, the 17th forced labor camp R-17 was located - the Akmola camp for the wives of traitors to the Motherland, the so-called ALZHIR. Pilgrims prayed in the church in honor of the New Martyrs of Akmola and got acquainted with the exhibitions of the ALZHIR museum and memorial complex for victims of political repression and totalitarianism.

On December 8, 2023, Bishop Hesychius of Valevsky, who arrived in Kazakhstan at the invitation of the Head of the Metropolitan District, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, visited Karaganda.

The hierarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church arrived in Kazakhstan to honor the memory of the new martyrs and confessors of the 20th century who suffered for their profession of faith during the period of persecution by the godless authorities. The Karaganda land, which hides the relics of a large number of martyrs, according to the words of the ever-memorable Patriarch Alexy II, it is like a huge antimins spread out under the sky.

Bishop Hesychius was accompanied by: the secretary of the Valevsky diocese, priest Philip Yakovlevich and deacon Dimitrevich Momchilo and priest Sergius Pinigin the cleric of the Astana diocese.

At the Vvedensky Cathedral, the archpastor was met by the secretary of the diocesan administration, Archpriest Dimitry Patrikeev, the dean of the Abai church district, Archpriest Vladimir Freigang, and the dean of the Karaganda church district, Archpriest Alexander Ugolkov.

Bishop Hesychius prayed at the relics of St. Sebastian of Karaganda and got acquainted with the history of the construction of the cathedral. Then the distinguished guest visited the Mother of God Nativity Monastery, the place of the ascetic deeds of Elder Sebastian, talked with the sisters of the monastery. At the end of the visit, the archpastor visited the Trinity-Sebastian Cathedral.