Transfer of the relics of St. Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow

The sixteenth of July Orthodox believers celebrate the anniversary of the return to Moscow of the remains of St. Philip. The relic was removed from the land of the Solovetsky monastery and with grandiose honors delivered to the Kremlin in the spring of 1652.

The monastic path of Abbot Philip (Kolychev) began on Solovki, where he turned the harsh island into a prosperous economic center. In 1566, Tsar Ivan IV insisted on his erection to the Metropolitan throne. However, the bishop did not become a silent witness to the massacres of the oprichniki. For public condemnation of terror, he was arrested right in the altar, his vestments were torn off and exiled to Tver. The finale came in Otroche Monastery: the envoy of King Malyut Skuratov strangled the prisoner in December 1569.

The burial changed place several times. At first, the remains lay in the Tver land, later they were transported to Solovki. The initiator of the last transfer was Alexei Mikhailovich. The monarch personally composed a text addressed to the deceased, begging to release the guilt of his grandfather Ivan the Terrible. The paper was put in the hand of the deceased before the mourning procession, which was headed by the future Patriarch Nikon.

The ark was installed in the main cathedral of the capital at the southern doors of the altar. The point where the citizens met the motorcade was marked with a bow sign, as a result of which the area near the current Riga station is called Krestovskaya outpost.