Gifts of the Magi, Christian relics associated with the life of Jesus Christ, were delivered to Moscow for the first time on Christmas Eve from a monastery on Mount Athos.
Thousands of believers come to venerate the relic. People have to wait in line for about eight hours to get into the cathedral.
Believers at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior by the shrine with the Gifts of the Magi, relics brought to Moscow for the first time from the Agiou Pavlou monastery on Mount Athos.
It is the first time that the Gifts of the Magi have left Greece.
They were delivered to Russia by 83-year-old Archimandrite Parfeny (Mourelatos), who led the delegation from Mount Athos monastery and carried the relic off the plane.
The Gifts of the Magi were delivered to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow for the Christmas service, which started at 11pm on January 6, where they were greeted by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.
The Gifts of the Magi are among the few preserved relics associated with Christ’s life on Earth.
On Christmas Eve, Orthodox Christians remember the evangelical story of the adoration of baby Jesus by the three kings of the Orient.
According to the Bible, the wise men lay before the baby Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh: gold as a symbol of kingship on earth, frankincense as a symbol of deity, and myrrh as a symbol of human death.
Source: RIA NOVOSTI
