On the morning of December 23, 2023, the feast day of St. Ioasaf of Belgorod, in the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Irene in Pokrovskoe (the Patriarchal Embassy Church in Moscow of the Belorussian Exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church), a Divine Liturgy and intercessory prayer service (moleben), using the rubrics when royalty are present or commemorated, were served to mark the 70^th birthday of the Head of the Russian Imperial House, H.I.H. The Grand Duchess Maria of Russia.

• The Head of the House of Romanoff in the Church of the Intercession in Krasnoe Selo in Moscow, December 1, 2023 The Head of the House of Romanoff in the Church of the Intercession in Krasnoe Selo in Moscow, December 1, 2023
• The Church of the Holy Great Martyr Irene The Church of the Holy Great Martyr Irene
• Archbishop Dimitry presenting the Icon of Our Lady “Economissa” for the Head of the House of Romanoff Archbishop Dimitry presenting the Icon of Our Lady “Economissa” for the Head of the House of Romanoff
• The Director of the Chancellery of the Head of the Imperial House of Russia thanking His Eminence Archbishop Dimitry The Director of the Chancellery of the Head of the Imperial House of Russia thanking His Eminence Archbishop Dimitry
• The Church of the Holy Great Martyr Irene The Church of the Holy Great Martyr Irene
• Archpriest Feodor Rozhik Archpriest Feodor Rozhik
• The Church of Our Lady “of the Sign” The Church of Our Lady “of the Sign”
• The Church of Our Lady “of the Sign” The Church of Our Lady “of the Sign”
• The Church of Our Lady “of the Sign” The Church of Our Lady “of the Sign”
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With the blessing of the rector of the church, His Eminence Archbishop Dimitry of Vitebsk and Orsha, the Divine Liturgy was served by a clergyman of the Kiev Metropolia, Archimandrite Alexander (Globa), along with Hieromonk Nikon (Levachev-Belavenets) of the Alexandrov Diocese, Deacon Aleksei Kulikov of the Sergiev Posad Diocese, and clergy of the Vitebsk Diocese, including Hieromonk Serapion (Senkevich), Deacon Ilia Oganesyan, and Deacon Vladimir Svirsky. Other clergy of the Vitebsk Diocese were also present at the service, including Hieromonk Dimitry (Tishchenko) and Archpriest Gennady Voitovich. Archbishop Dimitry of Vitebsk and Orsha also attended the Liturgy and prayer service. Thus, the composition of the concelebrating clergy reflected the strong historical links of Great, Little, and White Rus.

Before the moleben, Hieromonk Nikon (Levachev-Belavenets) spoke about the important work that the Grand Duchess does for the nation and her people, and after the service Archbishop Dimitri extended his archpastoral blessing and congratulations to the Head of the House of Romanoff and to her staff present in the church. His Eminence then presented a copy of the icon of Our Lady “Economissa” (“the Stewardess”) to the Director of Her Imperial Highness’s Chancellery, Dr. Alexander N. Zakatov, which had been brought from Belarus specifically as a gift for the Grand Duchess.

Attending the services were the Church Warden (Starosta) of the Holy Epiphany Cathedral, I. Kh. Aliyev; the famous actor, director and Orthodox public figure D. B. Giorgobiani; advisors to and members of the Chancellery of the Head of the Russian Imperial House; members of the movement “For Faith and Fatherland”; representatives of the Russian Nobility Association and the Military Nobility of Russia; and parishioners of the church.

On the same day, a moleben was served for the health of the Head of the House of Romanoff and members of her family in the Church of Our Lady “of the Sign” in Pereyaslavskaya Sloboda in Moscow. The service was officiated by the rector of the church, Mitred Archpriest Feodor Rozhik, and by Protodeacon Dionisii Gusev.

Those attending the service included: Archpriest Andrei Galukhin, the rector of the Church of St. Andrei Rublev in Ramenki (in Moscow) and of the Church of Archangel Michael at the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation; A.V. Bugaevsky, a generous church benefactor and hagiographer; the Director and staff members of the Chancellery of the Head of the Imperial House of Russia; representatives of the Russian Nobility Association and of the Military Nobility of Russia; members of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society; and parishioners of the church. At the end of the service, Archpriest Feodor Rozhik gave a homily on the mission of the Russian Imperial House in the modern world.

The services in the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Irene were organized by the Office for Historical and Memorial Activities in Her Imperial Highness’s Chancellery, with the assistance of members of “For Faith and Fatherland,” parishioners of the Church of Our Lady “of the Sign,” the Chancellery’s Office for Engagement and Cooperation with the Russian Orthodox Church, the Chancellery’s Office of Heraldry, and the Russian Nobility Association.

Other cities across Russia also held services for the health of Grand Duchess Maria of Russia and members of the Imperial House.