Epiphany of the Lord in Tauride Chersonese. What awaits guests on January 19?

Very soon the museum-reserve will host a cultural and educational event “The Epiphany of the Lord. Feast of Epiphany in Tauride Chersonese”, organized jointly with the “My History” Foundation and the Sevastopol Deanery. On this day, believers will be able to enter the territory of the cultural institution from 7:00 to 20:00 through the Eastern Gate. Free admission!

On January 19, the Divine Liturgy will be held in the temporary church of St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir from 7:30 to 10:00. From 10:00 to 10:30, the ceremony of the great consecration of water will take place on the square in front of the temple.

At 10:30 a procession towards Quarantine Bay will begin. There, after the consecration of the waters of the Black Sea, the immersion of believers will take place. The safety of the event will be ensured by ambulance specialists and rescuers from the Ministry of Emergency Situations, and special boats will ply in the waters of the bay. Also on this day there will be warm tents with hot tea and a field kitchen.

At 11:00 and 13:00, after the religious procession and plunging into the waters of the Black Sea, visitors to the museum-reserve will be able to take part in thematic excursions “Korsun — the font of the Orthodox faith.” Guests will be told about the history of the holiday and the role of medieval Chersonese — Kherson in the baptism of Prince Vladimir and Ancient Rus’. Visitors will be able to travel more than a thousand years into the past, understand the full significance of this event, and also appreciate the impact that Christianity had on the formation and development of our state.

The reasons that prompted Prince Vladimir to accept a new religion will be discussed at the poster exhibition “Choice of Faith – from the Baptism of the Lord to the Baptism of Rus’.” Visitors will learn about the great preachers who left their mark on the holy land of Chersonese — Kherson — Korsun. After all, it was here that the first disciple of Jesus Christ, Andrew the First-Called, set foot. Christian communities were founded here, which were later strengthened in the faith by Saint Clement of Rome with his preaching and martyrdom. It was in Chersonese that his relics were found by the great Slovenian teachers, the Equal-to-the-Apostles brothers Cyril and Methodius, who translated the Gospel into the Slavic language. In this truly sacred place, Prince Vladimir was baptized, which became not just his personal choice, but a civilizational choice for our country.

source: Development Department of the State Museum-Reserve «Chersonese Tauride»