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Navy sailors with heavenly protection

Representatives of the Northern Fleet and the Russian Orthodox bring the shine with relics of Russian saints around in Severomorsk port area.

Relics of Russian Orthodox saints will from now on be on board Northern Fleet vessels on missions.

Location

Priests from the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society, a unit Russian Orthodox Church, this week handed over relics of five saints to representatives of the Severomorsk Diocese.

The relics will be onboard Northern Fleet vessels on all long-distance missions, the Russian Ministry of Defence informs in a press release.

”The ressurection of spiritual traditions help the soldiers from Severomorsk to execute even the most difficult tasks”, Northern Fleet Head Commander Vladimir Korolyov said in the ceremony.

Leading representatives of the church and the Northern Fleet, as well as Navy units from Severomorsk, participated in the event during which a shrine with the relics were taken around in the local port area. The shrine included relics of the saints Andrew the Apostle, Niclas the Wonderworker, St. Georgy Pobedonostsev, Dmitry Solunsky and Admiral Fyodor Ushakov

The two biggest Northern Fleet vessels, the battle cruiser ”Pyotr Veliky” and the aircraft carrier ”Admiral Kuznetsov”, both have on board ship chapels in which the relics will be placed during missions.

Navy city Severomornsk is center also for the Diocese of Severomornsk and Umba. The diocese is headed by Bishop Mitrofan (Badinin), a man who himself served as ship captain in the Northern Fleet before deciding to become a clergy. The Diocese was established in 2013 in connection with formation of the Archdiocese of Murmansk.