Sincere congratulations to all of our readers on 4 November, the Day of National Unity! In Russian it is Днем народного единства!
The holiday was designed to commemorate the popular uprising which expelled Polish–Lithuanian occupation forces from Moscow in November 1612. This event is marked as the end of the Time of Troubles.
The statue that sits in front of St. Basil’s Cathedral is of Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky, the two citizens who led the revolt against the Polish forces in the Kremlin.
This statue of Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky used to sit in the center of Red Square but as part of Stalin’s desire for a military parade ground the statue was moved to its present location. There is an identical monument to the two in Nizhny Novgorod, the city where they lived.
Today is also the feast day of the Russian Orthodox icon of Our Lady of Kazan.
This holiday season the Mendeleyev Journal is recommending Ancient Faith Radio’s Christmas Catalog. Enjoy 24/7 Orthodox Christian programming by visiting Ancient Faith Radio.