Young Pilgrims in the City of St. Peter

A couple of weeks ago, fifteen girls from the Orthodox orphanage made a trip to Saint-Petersburg and Tikhvin. The visitors had six days to make a pilgrimage to the shrines of the Northern capital and to visit the famous museums of St.-Petersburg.

The travelers stayed at the Novodevichy Convent. On the way from the airport to the convent the girls were asking their guide Natalia Evgenievna numerous questions, as they observed the grand buildings and temples with admiration. In the evening, the group visited the temples of the convent and the cemetery, where the sisters of the Novodevichy Convent, as well as renowned poets and composers of the nineteenths century are buried.

Afterwards the little pilgrims visited the Tikhvin Monastery. They bowed to the miracle-working icon of the “Tikhvin” Mother of God that is highly revered in our convent. The confessor of the orphanage, Fr. Thomas, served a Te Deum to the old icon, while the girls sang… Very soon other devotees joined them in prayer and in listening to an unusual choir with a young precentor.

The girls visited the museum of the great Russian composer Rimsky-Korsakov. They were allowed to play the piano that had been owned by the composer. Many famous musicians played this piano, and now Katya and Masha were happy to touch its keys – and a wonderful melody filled the room… The girls also performed on the stage of the Yusupov Palace. The Yusupovs used to make home performances, but now very few performances are organized here. The little artists gave an Easter concert to the museum’s staff members who were very touched by the performance.

Our inquisitive travelers visited the Hermitage, the Russian Museum and the Alexander Palace… The exhibits at the Alexander Palace were investigated by the girls with special affection: this was the place where the family of the last tzar used to live. The girls have read much about the Emperor Nikolay and the Empress Alexandra, about the princesses and the crown prince Aleksey. The children gazed with interest at the furniture, toys, and clothes that belonged to the princesses. Then they went to the Temple of the “Theodor” icon of the Theotokos, following the way that the Emperor’s family would take when they would go to the church services.

During the trip the guide would often ask the girls: “Aren’t you tired? Should we go back and take a little rest?” Yet, each time the children would reply in chorus: “No, we are not tired! Let’s continue the trip!” They listened to their guide with great attention, and in the bus they found the time to share their opinions and impressions, to pass notes with questions to the guide, to draw something for her… The guide would exclaim in surprise: “These are not just children, these are grown-up children!”

The girls returned to their abode with a huge amount of impressions, and now they love to draw the shores of the Neva River, the domes of the Novodevichy Convent and the spire of the Admiralty. They have already started to carefully study the geographical map: it is well possible that some time soon with the help of the benefactors they could make a pilgrimage to the ancient Italian town of Bari, i.e. to the relics of St. Nicholas, the miracle-worker.

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