“Patriarch Kirill visited these places as a pilgrim, and now he is considering his possibilities to do it again,” his representative at the Antioch Patriarchate Hegumen Arseny (Sokolov) told the journalists on Tuesday.
Thus he responded to the invitation of the rector Hegumenia Fevronia, who received the delegation of the parliamentary group for friendship of Syria and Russia that is on visit to the Syrian Arabic Republic these days.
The hegumenia also told that nuns of the monastery constantly prayed for Russia’s prosperity, for the health of Russian president Vladimir Putin and thanked for help in settling the Syrian crisis.
Hegumen Arseny greeted the Mother Superior on Patriarch Kirill’s behalf and handed over memorable gifts to her.
The Saidnaya Monastery is one of the oldest in the world. It has always attracted many pilgrims. The monastery was a target for bombings, but as the hegumenia said at the meeting, “thanks to God, there were no victims.”
Several miraculous events were registered when the rocket hit the building of the monastic school, but never exploded.
“The monastery is protected by the Mother of God. We have evidence of some soldiers who said they saw the Holy Virgin Mary, saw her protecting our city and the monastery,” the hegumenia said.
