Funeral of Patriarch Alexy II
Moscow, Russia. 9 December 2008.
The funeral service for Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia lasted three days at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow. He was buried at the Epiphany Cathedral (Yelokhovo). Around 100,000 people came to pay their respects.
The late patriarch’s figure bridged two eras—the Soviet period and the new Russia that emerged after the collapse of the USSR. While Alexy sought to maintain a degree of independence, his successor, Patriarch Kirill, fully subordinated the interests of the Church to those of the autocratic state led by Putin.
During the funeral service for Patriarch Alexy II at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour.
People who came to pay their respects lined the entire route from the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, where the funeral service was held, to the Epiphany Cathedral (Yelokhovo), where the burial took place.
The coffin being carried out of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour.
During the funeral service for Patriarch Alexy II at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour.
A section of the roadway near the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour was covered with white roses along the path of the hearse.
Funeral of Patriarch Alexy II
The entrance to the burial at the Epiphany Cathedral (Yelokhovo) was closed to the faithful, who remained outside.
Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk (Gundyaev), the future Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, during the funeral of Patriarch Alexy II. The struggle for the patriarchal throne began on the day of Alexy’s death.
