EASTER SERVICE AT THE HOLY SEPULCHER
On the night of Holy Saturday to Easter Sunday, the 29th to 30th of March/11th to 12th of April 2015, the Easter Matins and Divine Liturgy were conducted to commemorate Our Lord’s life-giving Resurrection.
To observe this feast of feasts, the Hagiotaphite Brotherhood, led by Patriarch Theophilos, proceeded to the Church of the Resurrection where a crowd of faithful awaited.
After venerating at the Holy Apokathelosis and the Holy Sepulcher, the Patriarch entered the katholikon and rose to the Throne as cantors sang the Canon “On the waves of the sea”.
Dressed in celebratory vestments, the Patriarch and Primates passed through the Beautiful Gate before a procession began thrice around the Holy Sepulcher.
Then, the Evangelical pericope of the Resurrection was read, followed by the crowd’s exclamation “Christ has risen!” in Greek, Russian, Romanian and Arabic.
On the completion of Matins, the Divine Liturgy began, led by Patriarch Theophilos with co-officiating Primates, in the presence of the Greek Consul-General to Jerusalem, Mr Georgios Zacharoudiakis, and Consul Koinis.
After the apolysis of the Liturgy and while Priests were still offering Communion to the faithful, His Beatitude and the Hagiotaphite Brotherhood proceeded to the Patriarchate, where they enjoyed eggs and cheese in celebration of the feast.
From the Secretariat-General
httpv://youtu.be/uFVT0RHZkZM
httpv://youtu.be/DD5ZshOXJvE
httpv://youtu.be/8AThKvo1Xkc