This article originally appeared at Royal Russia
On the evening of 16/17 July, to honour the memory of the murdered Russian Emperor Nicholas II and his family, more than 60,000 Orthodox faithful took part in the 20-km royal procession pilgrimage from the Church on Blood in Honour of All Saints Resplendent in the Russian Land in Ekaterinburg to the Monastery of the Royal Martyrs at Ganina Yama.
The procession passed without incident, said “the regional newspaper” the press service of the Ekaterinburg diocese.
Before the procession a Divine Liturgy was held at the Cathedral on the Blood, which was headed by Metropolitan Kirill of Ekaterinburg and Verkhoturye concelebrated hierarchs: Metropolitan of Tashkent and Uzbekistani Vincent, Archbishop of Sebaste Theodosius (Jerusalem Patriarchate), Bishop of Tarski and Tyukalinsk Savvatii, bishop of Glazov Igra and Victor, Bishop of Nizhny Tagil Serov and Innocent, Bishop Kamensky and Methodius of Alapaevsk.
At two o’clock in the morning on July 17, residents and guests of Ekaterinburg, which included Orthodox Christians, monarchists, among others began the 20-km procession, which ended at half past six in the morning.
The procession was led by Metropolitan Kirill of Ekaterinburg and Verkhoturye, accompanied by members of his clergy. They were followed by Cossacks carrying icons and banners.
This year, a group of Japanese pilgrims, dressed in samurai armour took part in the procession. The column stretched for several kilometres.
Throughout the course of the procession, pilgrims were accompanied by mobile teams of assistance who provided the faithful with bottles of drinking water, and first aid. Buses were provided along the procession route for people to stop and rest, or for those who could not complete the journey.