Over a thousand of the faithful took part in the Blessing Ceremony which preceded the Sunday Liturgy. Many representatives of different religious orders and communities also attended. In fact, according to the Byzantine  calendar on 15 February is celebrated the Solemnity of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple  and consequently the day of Consecrated Life is also celebrated.
 
The new iconostasis, a typical architectural feature of Byzantine churches which separates the sanctuary from the nave also includes an icon of Don Bosco. This is not the first time that Don Bosco has been represented in the typically stylised manner of eastern iconography but in this case the dimensions of the icon are particularly significant: with its 220 cm height and 70 cm width this is without doubt the largest icon of Don Bosco in the whole of the Special Circumscription of East Europe, which covers Russia, the Ukraine, Belarus and Georgia.

Within the iconostasis the icon of Don Bosco is the same size as that of Jesus and the Madonna, placed at the sides of the central door, and that of Saint Nicolas, on the left hand side opposite Don Bosco.

Published 16/02/2010