Smolensk hosted the festival of "The image of love unfeigned"

On the banks of the Dnieper River in the Temple of the Saints Boris and Gleb, there was the festival 'The image of love unfeigned", dedicated to the Life of the Righteous Princes – Passion bearers. The festival, which was held for the first time in Smolensk region, was attended by Governor Alexey Ostrovskiy.

Boris and Gleb were the younger sons of Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich of Kiev. In 1015, they were murdered by the assassins sent by their brother Svyatopolk the Accursed, who was fighting for the throne of Kiev. One of the brothers - Prince Gleb of Murom - died in the Smyadyn River estuary, a small tributary of the Dnieper.

Boris and Gleb were the first saints, celebrated by the Russian Orthodox Church, who were canonized as martyrs-passion bearers and made the patrons of the Russian land and heavenly helpers of the Russian princes.

In Smyadyn, in the first half of the XII century, the Boris and Gleb Monastery was founded, which became a major religious center and a place of pilgrimage for the Orthodox Christians. But later the monastery was destroyed, and today there are only fragments of the stone foundations on its site. In 1991, through the efforts of the Slavic Literature Foundation and the direct participation of then Metropolitan of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, and now – the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill, a memorable sign - a stone with a cross carved on it and the text telling the story of martyrdom of Saint Prince Gleb was set up in Smyadyn. After a long break the tradition to hold a divine service by a hierarchal rank on the day of memory of Boris and Gleb (August, 6) at the memorial stone in Smyadyn was renewed. Last autumn a temple in honor of the Righteous Princes was consecrated in Smyadyn.

This year's festival, which began with a prayer, is aimed to revive the Orthodox pilgrimage to Smyadyn.

Greeting the participants and guests of the festival, Alexey Ostrovskiy, said that hopefully the festival will become a significant event in the cultural life of the region with such a rich military and Orthodox history.

In addition to the prayer and the readings of the Lives of Saints Boris and Gleb, those who came to the banks of the Dnieper River could enjoy the concert program featuring not only Smolensk, but also the Belarusian music groups. The educational part of the festival was in the form of a quiz for the guests, and the brightest part was the fireworks.