Patronal Feast of the Church of the Royal Passion-Bearers in Karabulak

July 17, 2026 – the commemoration day of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers: Emperor Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra, Tsarevich Alexei, and the Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia.

With the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, Bishop Gennady of Kaskelen, Administrator of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the only church in Kazakhstan dedicated to the Royal Passion-Bearers. The church is located at the Metropolitan Metochion in the village of Klyuchi, also known as Karabulak, in the Alma-Ata Region.

Concelebrating with His Grace were Archpriest Vadim Alexeyev, rector of the Church of St. John of Kronstadt in the village of Zhetygen, Alma-Ata Region; Priest Georgy Sidorov, Head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Head of the Metropolitan District; Hieromonk Alexiy (Samosenkov), cleric of St. Alexius Church in the village of Baiterek; Hieromonk Meletiy (Chernov), cleric of the Church of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers in Karabulak; Hierodeacon Athanasius (Kozel); Deacon John Mombayev; and Deacon Macarius Belitsky.

Praying at the service were the sisters of the Iveron-Seraphim Convent in Alma-Ata, Orthodox residents of Karabulak, and believers from nearby settlements.

The liturgical hymns were performed by the choir of the convent’s St. Sophia Cathedral under the direction of O. Usoltseva.

After Holy Communion, a shrine was brought to the center of the church: a reliquary containing a stone from the execution room of the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg, where the Imperial Family suffered martyrdom. The shrine was presented to the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District in 2012 by Archbishop Vikenty of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye, now Metropolitan Vikenty of Tashkent and Uzbekistan and Head of the Central Asian Metropolitan District.

At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, a service of glorification to the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers was held.

Bishop Gennady congratulated the clergy and parishioners on the patronal feast and then addressed the faithful with an archpastoral sermon.