On July 22/August 4 the Orthodox Church celebrates the feast day of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene—the heavenly patron saint of the Head of the Russian Imperial House, H.I.H. The Grand Duchess Maria of Russia.
In the morning of this very solemn day, Hieromonk Nikon (Levachev-Belavenets) served a Divine Liturgy at the church of the Entry of the Most Pure Mother of God at the Saltykov Bridge in Moscow, and that evening also an intercessory prayer service, or moleben, following royal rubrics, for the health of Her Imperial Highness, her son and heir, H.I.H. The Grand Duke George of Russia, and his fiancée, Victoria Romanovna Bettarini.
Hieromonk Nikon was joined at these services by Fr. Deacon Aleksei Kulikov of the Moscow Region Diocese.
Attending the moleben were H.I.H. The Grand Duke George; the Deputy Head of the Department of Civil Service and Personnel in the Office of the President of the Russian Federation, A. M. Kovalev; the Chairman of the Public Council in the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, M. Iu. Lermontov; the advisor to the Moscow Patriarchate, A. V. Bugaevsky; members of the Chancellery of the Head of the Imperial House; members of the Russian Nobility Association, led by its President, O. V. Shcherbachev; members of the organization For Faith and Fatherland, led by the Deputy Chairman of its Governing Board, A. R. Karpov; the President of the National Foundation “Restoration of Russian Country Estate Houses,” V. I. Alyavdin; the former First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, F. V. Shelov-Kovedyaev; members of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society; members of the Orthodox motorcyclist association “Motorcyclist Brethren in Christ,” led by its President, A. P. Maslov; the President of the Russian-Georgian Friendship Society, “Dzalisi,” T. I. Dzhanieri; and parishioners of the church of the Entry of the Mother of God at the Saltykov Bridge.
At the conclusion of the moleben, Hieromonk Nikon (Head of the Department of Historical and Memorial Activities in the Chancellery of the Head of the Imperial House of Russia) greeted all those gathered, and noted the special nature of this year’s celebration of the Grand Duchess’s name day in that Grand Duke George was in attendance.
Then followed an investiture ceremony for those who have distinguished themselves in service to the nation, presided over by the King of Arms and Head of the Office of Heraldry in the Chancellery, S. V. Dumin, and the Secretary of the Knights’ Council of the Order of St. Anna, A. Iu. Korolev-Pereleshin.
