Holy Tradition teaches us that the first pilgrim to the Holy Sites, where Our Lord Jesus Christ was born, taught, performed His many and great miracles, suffered, was buried, arose from the dead and ascended into Heaven, was His Most Holy Mother, the Virgin Mary. Throughout the ages Christian hearts strived to follow Her example.
The people of Russia, soon after their conversion to Christianity, began performing pilgrimages. We know of Abbot Daniel, who visited Jerusalem in the XII century and lit a candle for the Land of Russia. By the eighteen hundreds the annual number of Russian pilgrims reached into the thousands. continue reading >>
