Velikoretsk religious procession

The significant event Velikoretsk religious procession takes place every year for 6 days Pilgrims will have to walk more than 150 km across the Vyatka province from June 3 to June 8 Since 2000, the religious procession has been recognized as an All-Russian event, which emphasizes the uniqueness of this project for the entire Orthodox world The history of the Velikoretsky passage begins at the end of the 14th century with the discovery of the image of St Nicholas in a thicket near the Velikaya River A peasant from the village of Krutitsy, going about his business, noticed a glow in the thick of the trees The light, coming as if from many candles, frightened the man But, feeling an irresistible attraction, the peasant, crossing himself, moved into the forest thicket It turned out that the mysterious glow came from the icon depicting St Nicholas the Pleasant, lying next to a life-giving spring The light disappeared, and the image was transferred to the village, where it soon began to manifest its miraculous power Residents of neighboring villages, having learned about the acquired image, began to come to bow to the icon The place where the miraculous image was found, over which a wooden chapel was erected, also began to enjoy special veneration The glory of the Velikoretsk Icon grew and multiplied; it was soon transferred to the capital of the Vyatka region, the city of Khlynov But the peasants of the village of Krutitsa were promised to annually return the shrine to the place where it was found This is how the origins of the Velikoretsk religious procession began In 1555, the miraculous image, at the behest of the Tsar, was delivered to Moscow During the journey, the icon gathered many worshipers, showing them holy miracles The image became so popular that several lists were made from it, which became no less revered During the final period of the Great Troubles, which engulfed the Russian lands after the death of Ivan the Terrible, the Velikoretsky image of St Nicholas the Pleasant was again called to Moscow to reassure believers worried about the sad events of recent years The religious procession, which was a bright event for the countryside and took place with great solemnity, existed until the formation of the Country of Soviets The miraculous icon disappeared, and pilgrims, following to the bank of the Velikaya River, began to carry with them small paper icons with the image of St Nicholas They moved secretly, in small groups, fearing exposure and arrests In the 90s, relations between the Church and the state changed in the direction of warming, the Velikoretsky Cross Ho was revived Today, the number of people wishing to go on pilgrimage reaches fifteen thousand; high-ranking guests are increasingly joining the procession, which indicates the status of this great spiritual event