The service was conducted by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.
In Russian Orthodox tradition, Saints Sergius and German were Greek holy monks who came to the Novgorod lands along with the first Orthodox missionaries. The monastery they founded became widely known throughout Russia. Today, the monastery has more than 200 inhabitants.
Vladimir Putin took part in a meal following the service. The President congratulated everyone present on the celebration and thanked the Patriarch, the clergy, and the representatives of all of Russia’s traditional faiths for all they are doing to strengthen the country’s spiritual and moral foundations.
The President said that we must not forget those who at this moment are working, fighting, and, sadly, even giving their lives in the country’s service. In this context, Mr Putin mentioned two Russian pilots who died heroically in Syria and asked the Patriarch and other clergy to pray for their memory.
Military pilot-instructors Ryafagat Khabibullin and Yevgeny Dolgin were killed in Syria on July 9, while doing a calibration flight near Palmyra.