Паломнические туры в Израиль - явление далеко не a new, albeit increasingly popular, not only among Russians, but also among Europeans. Religious tourism has become widespread since communications between various states have become much easier with the advent of cheap flights. However, this phenomenon has a long history and its own traditions.
Pilgrimage tours to Israel. Story
Уже в первое столетие после смерти Христа все places, one way or another connected with his life and death, began to acquire a special glory among the first Christians. It is known that the mother of the first Christian emperor of Byzantium, Elena, who later received the title of Equal Apostles, traveled to Jerusalem with the intention of finding relics associated with Christ.
This journey can be considered a prototype.pilgrimage tours to Israel, which was then called Palestine and was ruled by the Roman emperors. At that time, Equal to the Apostles, Elena managed to find a cave in which Jesus was buried, later called the Holy Sepulcher. In place of the cave, a temple was erected, which became one of the most important for Christians around the world.
Relics and Sights
In the modern world, getting to Jerusalem has becomemuch easier than in past centuries. For this, believers are offered Orthodox pilgrimage tours to Israel, always ready to receive guests, regardless of the purpose of their journey.
The Temple is considered one of the most significant places.Resurrection of the Lord. According to the Gospels that make up the New Testament, it was here that Jesus was crucified later and was buried. In the same place, of course, he was resurrected.
Although the temple complex and the associatedwith him, events are important for all branches of Christianity; the Jerusalem Patriarchate governs the temple, for the San Patriarch of Jerusalem is considered one of the oldest in Christian churches.
Russian pilgrims in Jerusalem
The first pilgrims from the Russian state went to Palestine immediately after the adoption of Christianity, and then this tradition did not fade even in the most difficult times.
From historical documents it is known that afterthe fall of Jerusalem under the rule of the Muslim rulers to travel there became much more complicated, and after the fall of Constantinople in the fifteenth century it became much more dangerous.
Since travels to the Holy Land were committedmost often on foot, they were full of dangers, and to reduce the risk, people gathered in groups called squads. Modern pilgrims also prefer to visit Christian shrines in groups, for this pilgrim tours are organized from Moscow to Israel. The life of modern pilgrims is greatly simplified by affordable and convenient transportation and organized support from travel companies and charitable and religious organizations.
Russian spiritual mission in Jerusalem
Organizations involved in helping pilgrims,They say that among those who come to Israel, pilgrims from Russia and Ukraine make up almost half. This information indicates a rapid increase in the number of pilgrims and now we can safely talk about the revival of the ancient tradition of pilgrimage tours from Moscow.
Однако столь стремительный рост популярности pilgrimage creates some problems. In the opinion of the Interreligious Council of Russia, very often there is a substitution of concepts, when under the guise of pilgrimage people are provided with ordinary tourist services, excursions with visits to historical monuments, without doing the preliminary spiritual training, which helps to make the most of the spiritual journey.
