The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1925-04-10
Easter in
Russia's
Holy City

~ ASTER festivities, both in the
X church and the home. last an
L. entire week in Moscow. The
principal church service, the
most sacred Of all the Russian year,
begins Saturday night at IL 80, on
Easter eve, and lasts throughout the
entire night, and, so far as could
perceive. throughout the greater part
of Easter. Last year, because Of the
generous daylight saving in Moscow.
this service began at one o'clock
Sunday morning and devout worship
ers began to assemble long before
that hour.
The announcement that the patri-
arch (the church's highest priest and.
potentate) was to officiate at the mid.
night service in the Church of the
Redeemer made this church, known as
the, cathedral, the shrine of the city's
religious life for Easter night. The
Russian orthodox church was without
patriarch from the time of Peter
the Great until 1915 during which
time the Gar of All the Russias oc-
cupied the leadership of the church.
Early in the revolution the patriarch
was restored to power, and today he
is venerated by the people in Russia
as the pope Is in Roman Catholic
countries.
Patriarch Tichon looks the part that
his name signifies-a venerable man
with lined, ascetic but benign face,
with long, white beard and slender
hands, He looks as if he might have
stepped out of a Biblical painting and
ought to be leaning on shepherds
crook and leading his spiritual flock.
Because of his attitude regarding the
governments requisition of the
church's treasure of precious metals
and jewels during the last year the
patriarch was imprisoned, but the
power Of his position and character
Is felt and respected by the Russian
people. Through him the church still
lives and gives life.
Patriarch Tichon celebrated the holy
service of Easter eve in Moscow's
great cathedral of white marble,
bronze and gold. which stands on the
left bank of the Moskva river, DOM
mating all the blue, red, green, pink
and star-dotted domes of the city with
its own massive domes of gold There
are five of these gold domes, the larg-
est 1876 feet in height and 100 feet in
diameter This building, designed in
the shape of Greek cross and one of
the most beautiful examples Of &C.
clesiastical architecture in the world,
was built by Gar Alexander II to
commemorate the freeing of Moscow
from the invading army of Napoleon.
1t required from 1889 to 1883 to erect
it and it cost 100000 roubles. At
the time of its erection this sum of
Russian roubles represented $780,
600; last year in paper currency 1t
amounted to little more than So; to-
day it would be literally worth $50
cents"
Services in the Cathedral.
In company with four other Amer
leans had been invited to attend
service in the cathedral, Nellie Z.
Gardner relates in the New York
Herald-Tribune. We arrived before
midnight Saturday and left Sunday
morning at five o'clock, and the serv-
ice was not yet over. But at that
hour the choir leader came to us and
said that it would be quite proper for
us to leave, if we so desired, and that
no one would be offended. Where
upon he graciously shook hands and
wished US Happy Easter and led us
down the center aisle.
Throughout those six hours of the
night $4,000 devout, prayerful Rus
dams stood on cold floor participant