His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem Presents a Sacred Gift to the Orthodox Faithful of Kazakhstan

May 23, 2025. Almaty. With the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, a pilgrimage delegation from the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District visited the holy sites of the Gospel in the Holy Land. The delegation was led by Protopriest Igor Svetlichny, Sacristan of St. Nicholas Cathedral in Almaty.

From Jerusalem, the delegation brought back a Paschal gift to the Orthodox faithful of Kazakhstan from His Beatitude Theophilos III, Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem - a mother-of-pearl altar cross, consecrated at the Tomb of the Lord.

Crafted in the Byzantine style, the sacred object is made of polished mother-of-pearl plates and adorned with a carved iconographic image of the Crucified Savior.

The Jerusalem altar cross will be kept at the Ascension Cathedral in Almaty.