First Divine Liturgy was served in the newly built Cathedral in Pochaiv Lavra

Thousands of believers from all over Ukraine and abroad took part in the first Divine Liturgy in the newly built Cathedral dedicated to the Savior’s Transfiguration in Pochaiv Lavra, Ternopil region. On that day, May 10, the Orthodox Church commemorates the miraculous icon of the Virgin “Life-Giving Source” and glorifies the Healing Spring of the Blessed Virgin Foot that came out in the 18th century on Pochaiv Mountain after the appearance of the Blessed Virgin in a Pillar of Fire. The solemn liturgy was led by the Apostle of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Archimandrite of Pochaiv Lavra, Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine Volodymyr. Metropolitan of Ternopil and Kremenets Serhii, Vicar of Pochaiv Lavra – Metropolitan of Pochaiv Volodymyr, Apostle Secretary of the UOC Archbishop of Pereiaslav-Khmelnytsky Oleksandr, Bishop of Khotyn Meletii, and Bishop of Ivano-Frankivsk and Kolomyia Panteleimon finished the liturgy. Vicar of Pochaiv Lavra thanked His Beatitude Metropolitan Volodymyr for his blessing and support in the construction of a new cathedral and presented him with a Pochaiv Icon of Blessed Virgin, especially honored by the head of the UOC, and a symbolic Easter painted egg.

 Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church said His blessing over the place for the construction of the cathedral of the Transfiguration on September 9, 2009 – the day of celebration of the 350th anniversary of finding the holy relics of Saint Iov of Pochaiv. The construction project of the new cathedral was designed in the course of the program of the all-Ukrainian open competition for the best architectural and spatial solution in construction. “Two large cathedrals in Lavra – Holy Trinity Cathedral and the Holy Assumption Cathedral need major restoration. However, if at least one of them closes, there will be no place to serve Sunday worships and big church holiday services where all the believers could fit. Therefore, with the efforts of the believers we managed to build a new cathedral in four years,” said Vicar of Pochaiv Lavra, Metropolitan Volodymyr. Transfiguration Cathedral is designed to fit nearly 100,000 pilgrims. As of today, lots of work needs to be still done there. In the temple, apart from the main altar in honor of the Transfiguration, there will be two more altars in honor of Saint Mark of Ephesus and Saint Mark of Athens.