Icon of St. Gabriel with relics brought from Georgia to Prague
Icons of Holy Father Gabriel and the Virgin Mary at the Cathedral of Saints Cyril and Methodius. Photo: UOJ
On July 2, an icon of St. Gabriel Urgebadze with relics, as well as an icon of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, were placed for veneration at Prague’s Cathedral of Saints Cyril and Methodius, the UOJ editorial office in Georgia reports.
The holy objects were solemnly brought into the cathedral, where the faithful had gathered. Many stood in line to venerate the icon of St. Gabriel, the image of the Mother of God, and the sacred relics.
Archbishop Michael of Prague and the Czech Lands attended the service. The Divine Liturgy at the cathedral is celebrated in Georgian and Czech.
The UOJ editorial office in Georgia noted that the event holds special spiritual significance for the Georgian Orthodox community in Prague. The faithful were given the opportunity to venerate holy objects connected with one of Georgia’s most revered saints.
St. Gabriel Urgebadze, born Goderdzi Urgebadze, was born in Tbilisi in 1929 and died in 1995 at Samtavro Monastery in Mtskheta. During the Soviet period, he suffered for the faith after publicly burning a portrait of Lenin and declaring: “A crucifixion of Christ should hang there, not a portrait of Lenin.”
Earlier, the UOJ reported that believers from Slovenia and Italy told the UOJ how they traveled hundreds of kilometers and stood in line for hours to venerate the Belt of the Mother of God in Belgrade.
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