In Jerusalem, in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, on April 15, the Holy Fire, which is a symbol of the light of Christ's Resurrection, descended. The ceremony of descending of the Holy Fire is characteristic of the Orthodox branch of Christianity and takes place annually on the eve of Easter.
The Holy Fire descends in Kuvuklia of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a marble cave where Jesus Christ is believed to have been buried.
On Holy Saturday - the eve of Easter - the Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Archimandrite of the Armenian Apostolic Church enter the Kuvuklia. At this moment, they are dressed only in shirts, so that no one thinks that the Patriarch and Archimandrite have matches or a lighter with them. After some time, the Patriarch takes out the already lit candles from the Kuvuklia. Bringing the fire to Jerusalem is considered evidence of the exit from the Sepulchre of the "Light of Truth".
In biblical legends, it is said that the first person to whom the Holy Fire descended was the Apostle Peter. He heard about the miracle of the resurrection of his teacher Jesus Christ and went to the cave where his body was buried. There the Apostle saw a bright light that illuminated the whole space.
This year, only 2,000 believers were allowed to be present during the ceremony of the descent of the Holy Fire. Several hundred police officers were on duty near the church, and the surrounding streets were fenced off. The reason for such security measures was the aggravation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Who we are: About us, Contacts. How we write news and our principles: Editorial code. We did our best. If you found this valuable – please support us.
To request a correction, please send an email.