Due to huge queues of pilgrims, restrictions on pedestrian movement were introduced to ensure safety in the area around the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. This became known from reports from the headquarters for organizing the pilgrimage.

In particular, pedestrian traffic restrictions have been introduced on Soimonovsky Proezd, on Volkhonka Street, on Prechistenskaya and Frunzenskaya embankments. The Patriarchal Bridge was closed to pedestrians.

In addition, the northern concourse of the metro station “Kropotkinskaya”

According to Interfax, almost 1 million 100 thousand people have already venerated the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Moscow. The waiting time in line on weekdays is 3-5 hours, on weekends - 8-10 hours.

The relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker were delivered to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior on May 21. You can venerate the shrine every day until July 12 from 08:00 to 21:00.

Due to the large influx of pilgrims to the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and the need to ensure security around the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, restrictions have been introduced on the movement of pedestrians. The headquarters for organizing the pilgrimage reported this to Interfax. Currently, traffic is limited on Soimonovsky Proezd, on Volkhonka Street, on Prechistenskaya and Frunzenskaya embankments. The Patriarchal Bridge is closed to pedestrian traffic in both directions, and the northern vestibule of the metro station “Kropotkinskaya” works only for passenger entry.
The relics of St. Nicholas, kept in the Papal Basilica of Bari, were delivered to Russia for the first time in history on May 21. Since the moment the relics were brought to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, almost 1 million 100 thousand people have already venerated them. The waiting time in the queue, which stretches for several kilometers, is 3-5 hours on weekdays, and 8-10 hours on weekends due to the influx of pilgrims from the regions. In the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the shrine will be available to pilgrims until July 12, and from July 13 to July 28 it will be in St. Petersburg, from where it will return to Italy.

Pilgrims wait in line to see the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, delivered to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, for up to 10 o’clock. This was reported on the official website of the offering of the shrine.

Currently, the beginning of the queue is located in the area of ​​house No. 54 on Frunzenskaya Embankment. "Estimated time in line is approximately 10 hours", - the message says.

In Moscow, pedestrian traffic was restricted near the Cathedral of Christ the Savior due to the large number of pilgrims wanting to venerate the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

The pilgrimage headquarters warns that the time spent in line has increased to 9 hours.

Since it was brought to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior on May 21, more than a million people have already venerated the shrine. Every day, a multi-kilometer area is built near the temple. On weekdays, the waiting time is usually 3-5 hours, and on weekends it increases to 10 hours.

Let us remind you that you can venerate the shrine in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior until July 12. And from July 13 to July 28, the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker will be in St. Petersburg.

In Moscow, due to an increase in the number of pilgrims to the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, pedestrian traffic near the Cathedral of Christ the Savior is limited, the official website of the offering of the shrine reported on Wednesday.

Since May 21, the relics have been in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. From 13:00 on May 22, free access to them was opened for pilgrims. Access to the relics in the capital is open daily until July 12 from 8.00 to. . . . .

According to the website, the following changes have occurred: traffic on Soimonovsky Proezd, Volkhonka Street, Prechistenskaya and Frunzenskaya embankments is limited. In addition, the Patriarchal Bridge is closed to pedestrian traffic in both directions. . . . . .

The approximate time spent in line to see the relics as of mid-day is 7.5 hours. Since May 22, more than 1 million 100 thousand people have already venerated the shrine.

Pedestrian traffic restrictions have been introduced on the streets around the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow until July 12. As reported on the official website of the bringing of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, this is due to the large influx of pilgrims.

At 13:30 Moscow time, the entrance to the queue for veneration of the relics of St. Nicholas was on Frunzenskaya Embankment in the area of ​​the Pushkinsky pedestrian bridge.

At the exit from the Frunzenskaya metro station, you need to turn right and cross the underground passage to the other side of Komsomolsky Prospekt, the organizers inform. . . . . .

Let us remind you that the shrine will be available to pilgrims in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior until July 12. All current information about the length of the queue can be tracked on the website Nikola2017.ru. According to the latest data, the number of pilgrims who visited the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker has reached 1,161,100 people.

Due to the increase in the number of pilgrims to the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, restrictions on pedestrian traffic near the Cathedral of Christ the Savior have been introduced in the capital. . . . . . Free access to the shrine was opened at 13:00 on May 22. . . . . . . .

Thus, pedestrian traffic is currently restricted on Soimonovsky Proezd, on Prechistenskaya and Frunzenskaya embankments, and on Volkhonka Street. Northern lobby of the Moscow Metro station “Kropotkinskaya” is now closed to passengers. It only works for entry. In addition, pedestrian traffic was also restricted on the Patriarchal Bridge (in both directions). Interfax reports this with reference to the headquarters for organizing the pilgrimage.

It is noted that on June 28, as of 1:30 p.m., the waiting time in line to see the relics averaged seven and a half hours. Now the queue begins on Frunzenskaya Embankment in the area of ​​the Pushkinsky pedestrian bridge. It is known that the waiting time in the morning was nine hours.

Let us remind you that the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker will be in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior until July 12.

Valeria Mikhailova

Queue of Hope

Why do people stand at the relics of St. Nicholas

“They flew here at the speed of light!”

-Where will they receive communion here? Here? Where do they take communion?! I stood there all night! – the eccentric lady, deftly using her elbows, approaches the central fence of the temple.

Not only she stood all night, but probably half of those who came to the Liturgy at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior today.

8 am. The service is only in an hour and a half, there are not many people yet, but there is a lot of fuss, a lot of questions: “Where are the relics? Which side will they let us in from? Where should I confess?” The temple workers complain slightly: “They ask the same thing: where to go, when to go. But we learn to answer briefly and, most importantly, patiently, so as not to offend anyone.”

A small group, it seems, Georgians, comes running out of breath. They are very worried: “They flew here at the speed of light!” However, soon the poor woman, who had made her way forward, is carried away by her husband in his arms: she could not stand the tension, and even here it is becoming more and more stuffy - people are arriving.

A little behind the crowd, two young girls sat on folding chairs, both wearing sneakers, carrying backpacks, and wearing skirts over trousers. Open, joyful faces. Natasha and Ksenia. We met exactly one day ago. Natasha, a Muscovite, came to the church on Sunday, not expecting to get into the service - “just to say hello” - and she got there.

Ksenia came from Anapa, and when asked about faith, she waves her hand:

– Oh, yes, I’m always in Church, it just so happens!

They tell how at 5 am they ordered a taxi to come to the embankment, how they were sent to run to the end of the cordon, and they found a loophole, but they were returned, in a word, after all the adventures - they are in the temple.

About Saint Nicholas, Ksenia says:

– This is a great representative before the Lord, a helper, a friend, a protector.

An elderly woman with a stick asks to be let through to the fence: she stood yesterday, she came today - they let her through. "Thank you! The world is not without good people,” this is to the girl who gave her her place in the very first row.

A woman with a stroller stands nearby: inside - a five-month-old miracle flutters its eyelashes, is silent, and does not act up. The eldest daughter, a girl of about 10 years old, leaned against the woman’s shoulder, exhausted from standing for a long time - she still endures, waits.

Some people's patience fails, so a woman pesters the guard almost demanding to be allowed outside the fence:

– I’ve been standing here since 4 am! – the tired pilgrim is indignant.

“I’ve already been on duty for two days,” the guard answers, and the conflict turns out to be settled.

“Sorry,” it’s her, already apologetic.

There is still an hour before the service starts.

- Look, how good it is! Both middle-income people and rich people don’t hesitate to come here,” a very well-dressed young man shares his impressions with his friend. – They understand that they should thank God for everything, and not consider that they have achieved everything themselves.

The guys are dark, they look like Caucasians, but it turns out they are not: one, Ilya, has Turkish and Ukrainian roots, he was born in Siberia, the other, Nikolai, has a father who is half Don Cossack:

“We are often mistaken for Caucasians or Georgians,” he explains. - In fact, they are just Don Cossacks - they are dark-skinned, black-haired. And Saint Nicholas is my guardian angel, my name is Nicholas. We came to also repent of our sins and ask for health to our relatives.

Young people are very sincere and inspired. They live in Moscow and willingly tell us why they are here today:

“We want to receive grace,” says Ilya. “We want to correct some of our lives, to ask not only for ourselves, but also for our loved ones - relatives, acquaintances, because we need to think about everyone. Whatever person comes into our lives, it’s not just like that, everything has a meaning.

He says that he did not attach much importance to faith until troubles began to occur in life, strong falls, the meaning of which the young man could not understand. Then he began to pray. And in 1.5 years his life turned upside down.

– The longer I live, the more I understand how much God pushes us towards the truth. You need to pray, you need to believe, receive grace, and most importantly, do not sin: after a fall it is very difficult to get up. Meaning? You can keep yourself clean and grow in spiritual life.

In the corridors of the temple, people take turns sitting down on benches: everyone is tired.

Among them is Gennady, a man with a kind and calm face, an entrepreneur from Moscow. He says that he came to God in the late 90s, adding that, alas, until the thunder strikes, the man will not cross himself: “We all sometimes come to God in difficult life circumstances.”

– I was in big trouble. But now I am deeply convinced that one must come to God in joy and sorrow – equally. Here we are learning, trying!..

-What brings you here? Who is Saint Nicholas for you?

– After the Mother of God, he is the most revered saint in Russia. Well, life so happened that my spiritual father, who serves 1,500 kilometers from here, is the rector of a church in honor of St. Nicholas. And now the Lord God helped me to be here - I was worried and worried for a week. Unfortunately, many people live their lives without any meaning. And here is such an event, for the first time in 1000 years... For me personally, this is a big holiday!

To the question: there are particles from the relics of the saint in almost any church, why stand in line at the KhHS? – answers:

– I also heard this version from one of the priests with whom I communicate. You see, unfortunately, we don’t know the origin of these particles that are in different churches - anything can happen... But here it’s definitely the saint’s rib, and the ninth, near the heart, was brought from Bari.

But the point is that the person who stood in this line went on a small feat of pilgrimage. I think it's deeper, more.

Waiting in the general crowd for the service is Galina, a psychiatrist from Voronezh who works with patients with schizophrenia. She says that she started becoming a church member three years ago:

– You see, it is very difficult for the relatives and neighbors of such patients, they bear responsibility for them. Therefore, when you believe, it is easier to tell them: you will accept your child for who he is, love him. Because the Lord teaches us to truly love everyone...

There are people here who were brought here by the feeling that this is how it is, right, this is how it should be. For example, Timur, a young man from Reutov, is a jeweler by profession. No, my family, they say, is ordinary, I am Orthodox, I was baptized, but I rarely go to church, I rather believe in my soul, like everyone else.

What called him?

– I just realized that I had to come here, that’s all! I saw on the news that the relics were already in Vnukovo, and decided to come.

Nicholas the Pleasant is closer to me than other saints, maybe it’s not entirely correct to say so, but nevertheless...

- Well, of course, Saint Nicholas, he was an old man! And fulfills all our desires,” the woman is surprised at the question of why she came here.

“I have problems with work,” shares Olga from Lipetsk. “I came in the hope that St. Nicholas will help me. He hears everyone, helps believers of all faiths.

Raisa from Voronezh, for example, visited the relics in Bari, and in Turkey, where Archbishop Nicholas served - she says her churching began with this saint. I thought: well, I already was, why go to Moscow? But it worked out so that I went.

Nina Semyonovna stood in the center of the church and asked me to videotape at least a minute of the service on her phone: “I don’t know how, can you help me?” The woman has an icon in her hands, she kisses it and says:

– I had great difficulties with work. I prayed to St. Nicholas on his memorial day, December 19, and the next morning I received a call: “Nina Semyonovna, won’t you go to work?” Can you imagine? My daughter also couldn’t have children for a long time. I asked and asked - and thank God, I gave birth to a daughter. Now I have come to ask my son to marry him. And I believe that it will be so.

“This will be something to remember for the rest of your life!”

– Entry is for clergy only! Come in 15 minutes and you'll pass! – the guard fights with the ladies, blocking the passage to the southern wing of the temple.

This turns out to be an insurmountable obstacle for a very modest young priest: a thin, tall priest, not claiming a special position, remains to wait. Father Alexander from Syzran, serves in the village, the parish is very small, permanent parishioners - 8-10 people:

– I come from Ukraine. There is a village called Zalestsy, from which more than 300 clergy have already come out. One of the first was my uncle, who now serves in Tolyatti. And I came to the same thing - I didn’t come, but the Lord called.

– And the brothers are probably priests?

- No, my brother is in the military. St. Nicholas - for me this is a spiritual stronghold, hope and intercession, because this is very much lacking in our lives. Spirit is what should motivate a person to do good deeds, and where can we strengthen our spirit if not in such a place?

9:30 am. The Patriarch arrives to the ringing of the bells of all four bell towers of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The Liturgy begins. I managed to “catch” one of the bell ringers in the temple. Maxim has been in this rare profession for 16 years: he went to study church singing, and the regent brought him here. For 13 out of 16 years he has been teaching - teaching others the art of bell ringing.

– How many people does it take to call KhHS?

- Well, 9... no, 7 people will be enough.

Seven people! How do you like a musical instrument that requires at least seven people to operate? The ringing in the KhHS is truly indescribable: powerful, solemn, rich, multicolored.

– Maxim, what does it take to become a bell ringer? A sense of rhythm, perhaps?

- You need desire. And everyone has a sense of rhythm.

And about the relics, the temple bell ringer says:

– I don’t divide saints into more or less favorite ones: any saint is a saint, there are no gradations...

The service is underway. The temple is filled with people. You can see monastic cassocks, scarves tied over jeans, several elegant hats, even with a veil. A toy car is racing across the floor! There are a lot of children. Someone, like an adult, stands at attention, fervently crosses himself, slowly and widely making the sign of the cross over himself: forehead, stomach, shoulder, upper arm. Someone... yes, is racing small cars in the largest temple in the country.

Many people stand with icons of Nicholas. One young man pulls his icon up, as if showing the saint: “Here, I’m here too!”

And two young men nearby clearly feel awkward: one of them is chewing gum, the other has his hands in his pockets.

To the right of the royal doors is a delegation from Bari, several “red caps” - Catholic cardinals.

The litany sounds in an unfamiliar language - Arabic, it seems?

Nearby there is a conversation again in an unfamiliar language. It turns out that they are Georgians from Kutaisi.

Saint Nicholas, they say, is also our beloved saint, very revered.

“You’ll get out of here and say ‘la-la,’” the woman standing next to him grumbles unfriendly. - You're disturbing us!

I apologize and disappear into the vastness of the temple. Now the canon to St. Nicholas is being read, and people are in anticipation: they are about to be allowed to see the relics. Someone is already sitting exhausted by the walls of the temple, someone has taken off their shoes - high-heeled shoes are out of place, and now one woman is already dozing on her things.

But then the crowd thickened, trembled and flowed towards the center of the temple: approaching from both sides, people kiss the ark with that same 9th rib... A second - and the pilgrimage is over, the believers go to the exit.

The output is mostly smiles. Somewhere there are complaints and bickering: everything is as usual.

Here is the same woman with a five-month-old baby in a stroller. Happy! She is from Smolensk: she took the children and came for one day.

– This will be something to remember for the rest of your life! - speaks.

Nearby, that same eccentric communicant is swearing on the steps of the temple with another woman:

- You skipped the line! I stood there for 20 hours, and the volunteers led you through. And there’s no point in baptizing me, nothing!

The yellow ties of Voronezh residents make them stand out in the crowd of happily passed-by people.

- Little yellow ones! Move to the left, let people pass,” the policeman commands, and the Voronezh residents slowly leave their place. Today they have an 8-hour journey home.

There are beggars in the crowd. There are far fewer of them than in previous years, and the police are quickly removing them from the crowd. Pilgrims sit wearily on their things, some are relaxing in a cafe, others are peeling an orange, sitting at the entrance to the metro.

Just St. Nicholas - a common saint

The time is approaching 14:00, when access to the shrine officially opens.

Across the road to the temple, people are already running from the queue: children - with joyful screams and skipping, some pregnant women - also almost skipping, joyful, some people are walking sedately, someone is waving their hands at the camera. Most people are in high spirits.

- Friends, where are you from? Moscow?

- Moscow.

- Tula! Nizhnekamsk, Tatarstan. Turkmenistan!

– Are there any Belarusians?

- Eat! I am from Novopolotsk, I work here. Today is my birthday.

On the first day the queue is quite small. This is not a NIGHT PARTY, as some bloggers said about standing at the Belt of the Virgin Mary. 2-3 hours - and people are at the shrine. What will happen in the following days is unknown, but the first day is exactly like that. By the way, access to the queue is closed unusually early: officially - at 17:00, in fact - after 18:00.

- How so! But what about those who work?! - the woman who was caught by this news when leaving the Park Kultury metro station is upset.

Suddenly - a very familiar figure next to the queue: a monastic robe, gray hair under the hood, a rosary on his left hand, a panagia... yes, this is Bishop Panteleimon (Shatov)! The Bishop stands at the fence, talks with a tear-stained woman, then with another.

It turns out that the Eastern Vicariate is responsible for helping people who stand in line at the shrines. Every day from 7 am to 10 pm, 5 priests are on duty, and the bishop, as responsible for the vicariate, “should also be here, help the priests so that they do not get tired, and support them.”

Today I went to the box office “at face value” with an owl sign in order to pick up a ticket to the Aquarium concert. “The cash register marked with an owl” accidentally ended up not far from the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

Walking along Bolotnaya Embankment to the ticket office with the owl sign, I saw the temple and remembered that a remarkable event was now taking place there - the veneration of the relics of St. Nicholas.

If I were even a hundred times lazier than I am, it would be a shame to pass by such an event without paying any attention to it. So, having bought tickets for the concert, I headed straight towards the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

The bridge across the Moscow River from Bolotnaya Embankment towards the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was blocked. Then I stopped, took out my mobile phone and aimed the lens of the built-in photo camera at the other side of the river. And here, above, are the photographs...

The queue to the relics of St. Nicholas ended in several places - part of the queue was located closer to the temple, the other part - a little further... In total, it seems, there were three fragments of the queue. And next to the temple itself, closer to the entrance, I didn’t see anyone. But the ships sailed beautifully along the river!

The little curious adventures did not end there. I took the subway. I had to go around the streets in order to get to the Tretyakovskaya metro station. When I got into the metro, I somehow didn’t think about the fact that I needed to make another transition in the direction of my station. I got into the subway car and went “to my home,” but, in fact, towards the center. Only when the Turgenevskaya station was announced did I realize that “automatically”, out of habit, I was going to the Kiyosaki Club!

Some of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker were brought from Vnukovo airport to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior on May 21. On the afternoon of May 22, pilgrims began to be allowed into the shrine, many of whom had lined up early in the morning. They are allowed to see the relics for just a few seconds and are not allowed to linger. Dozens of volunteers provide assistance to believers.

Access to the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior is open from May 22 to July 12 daily With 8.00 to 21.00(you must queue before 18.00, to have time to get to the shrine before the temple closes ).

Pilgrimage to the shrine

Access to the shrine from the Kropotkinskaya metro station closed.

Pilgrims need to go to the metro station "Park of Culture" ( ring) and walk to Prechistenskaya embankment (area of ​​the Crimean bridge), where you can stand in line and go to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

As the number of pilgrims increases, the queue extends to the intersection of Frunzenskaya Embankment with 1st Frunzenskaya Street (passage from the Frunzenskaya metro station; exiting the metro, turn right and cross the underground passage to the other side of Komsomolsky Prospect, then walk along 1st Frunzenskaya street to the embankment).

If the queue grows even more, the entrance to it will move towards Luzhniki; in this case, you will need to go to the Vorobyovy Gory metro station.

Information for pilgrims about the actual length of the queue is available on the website http://nikola2017.ru/, pages on social networks: VKontakte https://vk.com/nikola2017_ru, Facebook https://www.facebook.com/nikola2017.ru/ .

Preferential access to the shrine is organized for people with disabilities who cannot move without technical aids (wheelchairs and crutches). A disabled person in a wheelchair is allowed with one accompanying person. You must have a passport, a certificate of disability, and an IPRA (individual rehabilitation or habilitation program) with you.

The primary entry point for these categories is at the intersection of Ostozhenka Street and Soymonovsky Proezd (on the corner near the Vanil restaurant).

"At this moment June 26 2017, Moscow time: 11:30 , the entrance to the queue for veneration of the relics of St. Nicholas is located in the area of ​​Frunzenskaya embankment, 26 (the nearest metro station is “Frunzenskaya”). Estimated time spent in queue - approximately 7 hours(this estimate is approximate and may change depending on the number of pilgrims). Follow the current information about the length of the queue on the official website,” the organizers report today.

More than a million pilgrims venerated the relics

The number of pilgrims who visited the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow to venerate the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker displayed there has exceeded 1 million people, reports the headquarters of the pilgrimage organization organized by the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC).

“The Cathedral of Christ the Savior was visited by believers from 142 dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church and a total of 5 federal districts of Russia. During the month the shrine was in Moscow, about 2,500 buses arrived in the capital. There are pilgrims from distant regions who arrive by train and plane,” the headquarters said in a statement.

In the last days of the relics' stay in Moscow (from July 13 to 28 they are planned to be exhibited for veneration in St. Petersburg), the organizers predict a multiple increase in the number of pilgrims, with the largest number expected to occur on weekends.

Answering the question about whether the Russian Church expected so many people to visit the relics of the saint, priest Alexander Volkov said that “honestly speaking, no.”

“Initially, when it became known that the relics would be brought and the duration of the relics’ stay here in Moscow was determined, for some reason there was a feeling that it would be too long (the relics would be there. - Note, writes comandir.com. ed.). There was a feeling that now in the first days of the week people would pass by, most of them would bow, and then the wave would subside. But we were completely disgraced,” Volkov said on the Vesti FM radio station.

He noted that the flow of people to the relics not only does not decrease.

“We are now predicting that at the end of the relics’ presence in Moscow, the number of people will increase significantly,” added the patriarch’s press secretary.

In general, Volkov called the bringing of the saint’s relics to Russia “a positive event on a national scale, from a religious point of view.”

What to take with you to venerate the relics

A pilgrimage to the relics of St. Nicholas is associated with considerable strain while standing in line. In order to try to benefit your soul, it is important to properly prepare for it, to understand how everything will happen.

Being in line is a given, which can bring spiritual benefits to the pilgrim. Don’t waste your time: take with you the text of the akathist to St. Nicholas, a prayer book, and the Gospel. While you are waiting, you are already doing work to get closer to the Saint, and he sees and hears you, rejoices in your love and faith. Already in line on the embankment, you can read the akathist, pray in your own words and ask for those who are dear to you and for yourself. As experience shows, time will pass faster this way, and you will have time to thoughtfully ask for everything and everyone.

The queue runs along the embankment of the Moscow River, it is protected by a fence and divided into sections. This allows people not to stand behind each other and not to rush: when moving from compartment to compartment, it does not matter whether you are at the beginning of the group or at the end.

While you are in the compartment, you can sit down in the bus specially parked here and lean on the embankment fence. Some take folding chairs and foam mats with them.

With the blessing of His Holiness the Patriarch, everyone who joined the queue before it closed (usually at 18.00) will go to the relics that day. Accordingly, once you get in line, you don’t have to rush anywhere and don’t worry.

When we come to church (as, indeed, at any other time), we should have a pectoral cross on our chest. It is desirable that clothing correspond to the traditions of Christian piety: for women - a headscarf (cap, hat - it doesn’t matter), a skirt below the knees, covered shoulders. Men have covered shoulders and knees. However, no special control is exercised in this regard; everyone is allowed to see the relics. If you come to worship a shrine and are not dressed in accordance with the canons given above, ask God for forgiveness and boldly go to the temple. What is more important, of course, is not your form, but your mental attitude.

Take care of your comfortable well-being. If the day is sunny, take a hat or panama hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen. Due to the capricious nature of this summer, do not forget an umbrella or raincoat or windbreaker. Dress appropriately in cold weather. If necessary, take with you the medications you regularly take.

To ensure safety, we will not allow entry into the queue with: liquids in glass containers, flammable liquids (including perfumes and deodorants), sharp objects.

If you are going to have a kiss with children, think about what to do to keep them busy while they wait. The baby cannot remain in prayerful concentration for a long time or simply wait. It is important that the pilgrimage remains in his memory as a bright, good milestone in his life. Take a book, a notepad with pencils for your child. Prepare it: retell the life of St. Nicholas, explain what is happening. Explain what he sees in the temple: who the priests are, why they wear such vestments, who is depicted on the icons, etc.

You should be prepared for the fact that the relics are applied very quickly. This is justified: if you give each pilgrim at least two or three seconds more time, the queue for others will last twice as long. That is why it is worth devoting time to prayer while waiting in line.

If you want to attach icons or a body icon to the relics of St. Nicholas, take them in your hand in advance and apply them to the side of the ark in which the relics rest, at the moment when you yourself apply your lips to its upper part.

It is better to write notes for the prayer service performed by the clergy at the relics of St. Nicholas in advance (at home or while standing in line). You can give them in the temple - the points for accepting notes and selling candles are located in such a way that you can approach them both before and after worship.

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