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St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation heading to Russia with Holy Fire taken in Jerusalem

The lamp with the fire will be delivered to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Russia’s capital

TEL AVIV, April 19. /TASS/. A plane with a delegation of Russia’s St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation carrying the Holy Fire has departed from Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv and is now heading to Moscow.

The lamp with the fire will be delivered to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Russia’s capital.

The descent of the Holy Fire takes place in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (the Church of the Resurrection of Christ) in Jerusalem on Easter eve, according to the Julian calendar. In 2025, both Orthodox and Catholics will celebrate Easter on April 20.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was built on the site where Jesus Christ is believed to have been crucified, buried, and resurrected. Earlier, the delegation of Russia’s St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation arrived in Jerusalem and received the Holy Fire at the church in order to bring the relic to Moscow.

According to the foundation, the Holy Fire will be delivered to the Easter service in the Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Savior, as well as to 15 other churches of the Russian capital. The Holy Fire will also be taken to dozens of Russian regions, in particular to the borderline cities of Belgorod, Bryansk, and Kursk.

The delegation with the Holy Fire is expected to be received at the airport by a small group of representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church, the St. Andrew's Foundation specified.

Traditionally, the Holy Fire is taken as a relic to different countries. Since 2003, the St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation has been bringing the Holy Fire from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem to Moscow every Easter.

Among other things, the foundation organizes the bringing of the holy relics to Russia and arranges various educational programs with the blessing of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill.

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