On July 5/18, the feast day commemorating the martyrdom of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna and the nun Varvara, solemn divine services were held at the Monastery of Saint Mary Magdalene in the Garden of Gethsemane. The Divine Liturgy was celebrated by Archimandrite Roman (Krasovsky), Head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem, together with the clergy of the Mission. After the Liturgy, a moleben was served before the relics of Saint Elizabeth Feodorovna, which rest in the church. Following the service, Archimandrite Roman congratulated the abbess of the monastery, Abbess Elizabeth (Shmeltz), who was celebrating the feast day of her heavenly patroness. The celebrations concluded with a communal meal for pilgrims and guests of the monastery.
The service was given special significance by the fact that the Liturgy was celebrated in vestments presented to the church by Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna at the time of its consecration on October 1, 1888. At that time, she visited Jerusalem together with her husband, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, to take part in the consecration of the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene. The consecration was performed by Patriarch Nicodemus of Jerusalem, with the participation of Archimandrite Antonin (Kapustin), Head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission, through whose initiative and efforts the church had been built. The liturgical vessels and vestments donated by the Grand Duchess have been carefully preserved in the monastery and continue to be used during services dedicated to the memory of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, remaining a living testimony to the unseen presence and spiritual protection of the holy patroness of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem.
The service was given special significance by the fact that the Liturgy was celebrated in vestments presented to the church by Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna at the time of its consecration on October 1, 1888. At that time, she visited Jerusalem together with her husband, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, to take part in the consecration of the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene. The consecration was performed by Patriarch Nicodemus of Jerusalem, with the participation of Archimandrite Antonin (Kapustin), Head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission, through whose initiative and efforts the church had been built. The liturgical vessels and vestments donated by the Grand Duchess have been carefully preserved in the monastery and continue to be used during services dedicated to the memory of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, remaining a living testimony to the unseen presence and spiritual protection of the holy patroness of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem.
