From 18 to 26 June 2015, with the blessing of His Eminence Vikenty, Metropolitan of Tashkent and Uzbekistan, a pilgrimage was made to the Orthodox holy sites of Italy and France. The trip was organized by the pilgrimage department of the Diocese of Tashkent and Uzbekistan, headed by Elena Sarkisyants. Some 30 parishioners from various churches of the diocese took part in the pilgrimage. The spiritual care and pastoral guidance of the pilgrims rested on the shoulders of Priest Vladimir Platonov, a cleric of the Holy Protection Convent in Dustabad.
On the eve of departure a moleben for travelers was served at the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, with a blessing for the pilgrimage and a safe return.
The first part of the pilgrimage took place in Italy — in Rome, Bari, Lanciano, Turin, Milan and the Vatican.
In Rome the pilgrims were granted to touch such holy relics as a particle of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord; the staircase the Lord ascended on His way to judgment before Pontius Pilate (pilgrims now climb it on their knees, praying to the Lord); part of the table at which the Last Supper took place; and part of the wood of the Manger of Christ the Savior. The pilgrims venerated the relics of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, the Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress Helen, the Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-bearer, the Martyr Boniface, St. Alexius the Man of God and other saints.
Many of these relics were brought in their time by the Equal-to-the-Apostles Helen from the Holy Land to Constantinople, and only much later were they taken to Rome.
In Bari a moleben with an akathist was served in the crypt of the Basilica of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, where the relics of St. Nicholas rest, exuding wonder-working myrrh. And in the chapel of St. Spyridon of Trimythous in the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker at the Moscow Patriarchate's representation of the Russian Orthodox Church, the pilgrims took part in the Sunday All-Night Vigil and the Divine Liturgy, where they went to confession and received the Holy Body and Blood of Christ.
In Lanciano the pilgrims were able to visit the Church of the Eucharistic Miracle, where, because of one priest's lack of faith, the Eucharistic Gifts — the bread and wine — turned into the true Body and Blood of Christ (which remain there to this day). Here a moleben was served asking for the strengthening of our faith.
In Turin the pilgrims were able to behold the greatest witness to the Resurrection of Christ — the Shroud of Turin, which this year has been put on display for veneration. On the way to the Shroud an akathist to the Passion of Christ was read, and the pilgrims venerated the Shroud in the Cathedral of St. John the Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord.
In Milan the pilgrims visited the city's churches and venerated the relics of St. Ambrose of Milan and the Martyr Natalia. A moleben with the singing of an akathist was served.
The second and final part of the pilgrimage took place in France. The pilgrims arrived in Paris by train from Milan. On arrival in Paris there was a sightseeing tour of the city's main landmarks (the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-Élysées, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame Cathedral and others). The main places of pilgrimage were Notre-Dame Cathedral, where the Crown of Thorns of the Savior is kept, and churches with the relics of saints — the Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene, St. Genevieve, a locally venerated saint of Paris of the Orthodox Church, and others.
On every day of the pilgrimage the morning and evening prayers were read and meals were shared, and during the long journeys there were spiritual, historical and sightseeing talks. This helped everyone become friends, grow close and become one whole, one family.
Before the flight home a moleben was served in which the pilgrims thanked the Lord for the opportunity, during the Apostles' Fast, to touch so many holy relics and, above all, to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, and also asked God's blessing on their journey by air.
In his parting word before the flight home, Priest Vladimir Platonov wished that each of the pilgrims might preserve for as long as possible the grace they had received. Despite the minor trials that of course accompanied them on the way to the holy places, all the pilgrims tried to show patience and, above all, Love, without which, according to the words of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ, it is impossible to be a true Christian.
Fr. Vladimir also blessed the pilgrims to become, in some measure, apostles to their loved ones, sharing with them the knowledge and grace they had encountered on this pilgrimage, and to try so to enlighten them with the Light of Christ that, seeing their good works, they would glorify our Father in Heaven.
"Such pilgrimages help people grow into the life of the Church, since they bring together people at different stages of church life," says Priest Vladimir Platonov. "Fellowship with believing, churchgoing people, partaking of the grace of God, common and private prayer, which in these days pours forth especially from people's hearts — all this helps newcomers to religious life draw certain conclusions and begin to live as the Lord desires."
