JERUSALEM: 23 April, 2026
Pascha in Russian Gethsemane

On the night of the Bright Resurrection of Christ in 2026, a solemn Paschal service was held at the Church of St Mary Magdalene the Equal-to-the-Apostles in Gethsemane, Jerusalem.

The festive service was led by Archimandrite Roman (Krassovsky), Chief of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem (Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia), with the participation of the clergy and the convent sisters, numerous parishioners, and pilgrims. Traditionally, after the Paschal Midnight Service, a threefold procession of the cross around the church took place.

The Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom concluded the night services. A special atmosphere was created by the prayer at the monastery's holy relics and the reading of the Gospel in different languages, testifying to the universal nature of the feast and the multilingual environment of Orthodox believers in the Holy City. At the conclusion of the Liturgy, Fr Roman congratulated everyone on the Paschal joy and wished everyone to reverently spend these joyful and blessed days.

During the Bright Week, festive services continued in the monastery. On Saturday, at the altar under the open sky, which is located in the monastery above the ancient sacred staircase that the Lord Ascended into Jerusalem, a special Divine Liturgy with the participation of children was performed by a clergy of the REM, Fr Roman Gultyaev. Young parishioners took part in serving, reading the Apostle, and singing. The concluding Easter procession around the entire monastery together with the children was led by the Chief of the REM and the abbess of the monastery, Mother Elizabeth (Smelic). This bright joy for children and adults is becoming a cherished Paschal tradition of the Mission.

The Monastery of St Mary Magdalene in Gethsemane remains one of the spiritual centers of Russian Orthodoxy in the Holy Land, where the joy of the Resurrection is experienced with special depth and prayerful reverence.

REM in Jerusalem