The World’s Largest Icon
Public processions on feast days are normal in the Orthodox Church. Large groups of believers will gather at a church or monastery and then walk outside in procession, chanting hymns and carrying icons, sometimes for miles.
Every year in Tutaev, a town in Russia along the banks of the Volga River, a procession occurs with an Icon of the All-Merciful Saviour, painted in the 15th century.
It’s not only a wonder-working icon, it’s also quite possibly the largest such icon in the world, measuring three meters from top to bottom!
Despite the summer heat and the icon’s considerable weight, the faithful process around the city, carrying the icon for about 5 kilometers. Here are a few pictures from the procession in 2012:
Have you seen anything like it? Let us know about your favorite Orthodox procession.
Posted by the Orthodox Christian Network. You can find the Orthodox Christian Network on Google+.