Jerusalem Patriarch leads Service of Lamentations of Theotokos in Gethsemane

The Epitaphios of the Theotokos in Gethsemane. Photo: Patriarchate of Jerusalem

Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III led the Service of the Lamentations of the Most Holy Theotokos in Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives, where the Tomb of the Mother of God is located. The faithful celebrate this event on the eve of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary according to the Julian calendar on August 27, reports the press service of the Jerusalem Patriarchate.

For the service, the patriarchal procession made the journey on foot from the Jerusalem Patriarchate to Gethsemane along the Via Dolorosa. Patriarch Theophilos, hierarchs, and clergy entered the church to the singing of festal troparia and venerated the Tomb of the Mother of God.

After the vesting of the Primate and clergy, the ministers began the memorial service before the adorned Epitaphios of the Most Holy Theotokos. Those present at the service chanted the three stases of the Lamentations. The Patriarch of Jerusalem performed the censing during the first stasis, while the hierarchs censed during the second and third stases.

After the singing of the festal stichera, the priests lifted the Epitaphios of the Theotokos and carried it to the inner gates of the church. At this place, the clergy offered a prayer for peace throughout the world. Numerous pilgrims from various Orthodox countries were present at the service.

The Secretary-General of the Jerusalem Patriarchate, Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina, delivered a homily on the theological significance of the Dormition. His Grace emphasized that the Church perceives the Dormition of the Virgin Mary not as an occasion for grief but as a passage to eternal heavenly life. The hierarch concluded his address with a fervent prayer to the Mother of God for peace in the Holy Land and the protection of local Christians.

As the UOJ reported, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Dormition of the Theotokos.

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