Organization of Orthodox bicycle rides "the road to the temple" experiments and experiments on the topic. Metropolitan Georgy blessed the participants of the interdiocesan bicycle ride for Orthodox youth “The Road to the Temple”

From July 20 to 26, in the Nizhny Novgorod Metropolis, with the blessing of Metropolitan George of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas, the seven-day VIII Inter-diocesan bicycle ride of Orthodox youth “Road to the Temple” was held, dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the birth of Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Sergius (Stragorodsky) and the 100th anniversary of the restoration of the patriarchate in Russia.
The bike ride was organized by the youth affairs department of the Nizhny Novgorod diocese with the support of the youth departments of the Vyksa, Lyskovsk and Murom dioceses.
This year the bike ride route passed through Nizhny Novgorod, Bogorodsk, Vorsma, Pavlovo, Murom, Kulebaki, Ardatov, Diveevo, Arzamas, Vad, Lyskovo, Makaryevo, Bor, Mochalny Island. The final point was Nizhny Novgorod.
50 people took part in the bike ride. Among them are two members of the Youth Club “Blagovest” of the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist.
In the deanery districts of the Nizhny Novgorod, Vyksa, Lyskovsk and Murom dioceses along the route, accommodation and meals, as well as cultural and educational events were organized.
On July 20, after the ceremonial start, the bicycle column left Nizhny Novgorod towards Bogorodsk. There the guys visited the cathedral in honor of the Intercession Holy Mother of God. Assistant Dean for Youth Affairs of the Bogorodsky District, Priest Anastasy Sukhomlin, performed a prayer service and gave a tour.

In the city of Vorsma, Pavlovsk district, pilgrims visited the Ostrovoezersk monastery and the Kazan temple. In the evening they arrived in Pavlovo.
July 21, the day of celebration of the Kazan Icon Mother of God, the participants of the run prayed during the service in the Ascension Cathedral in the city of Pavlovo, and at the end of the service they went on a tour of the city and to the local history museum. In the afternoon the column arrived in Murom. Employees of the Murom diocese met the Nizhny Novgorod residents and accommodated them for the night in the Orthodox gymnasium named after St. Elijah of Muromets.
On July 22, pilgrims attended a service at the Trinity Monastery, venerated the relics of the holy noble princes Peter and Fevronia, then went on an excursion to the Trinity, Annunciation and Spassky monasteries, went to the holy spring of St. Elijah of Muromets in the village of Karacharovo, and visited the local history museum.
In the evening, on the central square of Murom, Nizhny Novgorod residents organized a youth event dedicated to the family. During the event, one of the participants in the bike ride asked his girlfriend to marry him. This is the fifth time young people have taken part in the bike ride together.
On July 23, after a Sunday service at the Trinity Monastery and a visit to the city embankment with the ancient Kosmodemyansk Church, the participants left Murom.
The next points on the route were the city of Kulebaki, the village of Gremyachevo, and the village of Ardatov. In each of them, the children visited churches and met with the local clergy.
In the evening, in Diveyevo, at the building of the district administration, the guests were met by representatives of the district leadership and the Sarov dean district. For the night, the participants of the bike ride were accommodated in the Mukhtolovsky guest house of the Diveyevo Monastery, and they were treated to dinner in the guest refectory.
The pilgrims visited the Trinity Cathedral, venerated the holy relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov, and visited the holy spring in the village of Tsyganovka.
On July 4, the children took part in a prayer service with the reading of an akathist St. Seraphim Sarovsky, then walked along the Holy Kanavka. The sisters of the monastery gave them a detailed tour of the monastery.
Then the bicycle column proceeded to the village of Suvorovo. The participants of the run visited the church in honor of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, where they venerated the holy relics of the Puzov martyrs Daria, Evdokia, Daria and Maria. Then the pilgrims drove to the village of Orekhovets and visited the temple in honor of the Ascension of the Lord.
In the evening the column arrived in Arzamas to the Resurrection Cathedral. Here the bicycle pilgrims were met by the assistant to the dean of the city of Arzamas for youth affairs, Priest Sergius Urakov. The guys venerated the shrines of the Resurrection Cathedral and took excursions to the Museum of the Patriarchate and the Arzamas Museum of History and Local Lore.
On July 25, the participants of the race set out towards Vad, where they visited 12 springs consecrated in honor of the holy apostles. After spending the night in Lyskovo, in the morning the cycling pilgrims visited the Ascension Cathedral, which is being restored.
On July 26, having crossed the Volga by ferry, the children arrived at the Makaryevsky Monastery and took part in the service. Then they were treated to a tour of the monastery and a meal.
Bishop Silouan of Lyskovsky and Lukoyanovsky met with the participants of the bike ride at the Makaryevsky Monastery. After praying together, the guys were able to ask Bishop Silouan questions that interested them.
The bike ride continued in the Bor direction. Along the way, the bicycle pilgrims visited churches in honor of the Conception of St. John the Baptist in the village of Ivanovskoye, in honor of the Holy Great Martyr Paraskeva Pyatnitsa in the village of Yamnov, and in the Kazan church in the village of Rozhnovo, Bor region.
In the evening, the bicycle column arrived in the city of Bor. Here the pilgrims bowed to the shrines of the main church of the Bor deanery - the Cathedral in honor of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Next point the route was Mochalny Island. The dean of the Bor district, Archpriest Alexy Parfenov, co-served by the assistant dean for youth affairs, Priest Alexander Danilov, performed a memorial service for the clergy of the Nizhny Novgorod diocese who were innocently killed on the island during the years of persecution of the Church.
At the end of the memorial service, the participants of the bike ride visited the Orthodox complex “Sergievskaya Sloboda” and returned to Nizhny Novgorod.
One of the participants in the bike ride, Maxim Susorov, shared his impressions: “The participants in the bike ride were blessed by Metropolitan Georgy of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas. The bike ride was very interesting. We drove 600 kilometers and literally every 15-20 kilometers we stopped at a new temple. We had a very interesting company, it was fun. We really enjoyed our walk around Murom at night. Looking forward to the next trip!”

The initiator of the bike ride was the head of the youth Orthodox center“Uman Blagovest” priest Konstantin Maltsev, rector of the Church of New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Church with the active support of the committee for youth policy V Leningradskaya district, they were able to be joined by students from other educational institutions of Moscow Secondary School No. 1 and Suza Social Pedagogical College of the village of Leningradskaya.

The purpose of the bike ride was to familiarize all participants with the shrines of the village of Leningradskaya (Umanskaya) and the 70th anniversary of the Second World War. To do this, it was necessary to overcome a difficult route from the Church of the Three Saints to the memorial Eternal Flame, where a memorial service was served for the fallen soldiers during the Great Patriotic War, and then flowers were laid. Next, the participants of the Orthodox bicycle ride went to the stele of the Uman Cossacks, who founded the village of Umanskaya back in 1794, where a small memorial service was also served for the Cossacks, who bowed their heads for the faith of Christ.

But the bike ride didn’t end there for the 20 participants. Accompanied by the state traffic police, Orthodox cyclists went to the regional central district hospital where the chapel of the Holy Great Martyr and healer Panteleimon is located. At the walls of the chapel, the rector, Priest Igor Tikhnovetsky, greeted us cordially. In a sincere conversation, Father Igor thanked everyone for participating in the bike ride and wished them spiritual and physical strength.

The longest route was to the Church of the New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Church. Despite such a long distance, many still had the strength to continue driving. And the most pleasant thing was to see Priest Konstantin Maltsev on a bicycle, leading all the young people to his church, where he is the rector and, by personal example, decided to also take part in this bike ride. At the place of arrival, many were able to rest and drink water. We all didn’t notice how Father Konstantin, dressed in all his church clothes, was already standing at the door of his church and inviting everyone to come inside. The children were told about the icons of the Church of the New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Church, which depicted saints. Having refreshed themselves spiritually and rested physically, everyone went to the central park of the Leningradskaya village to the monument to our fellow countrymen who were brutally shot by the Nazis in 1943. Not far from this monument, the guys walked with an easy step to the memorial of the Three Saints - Gregory the Theologian, Basil the Great and John Chrysostom. At this memorial, Father Constantine told everyone gathered about the lives of three saints in the 4th-5th centuries AD. At the end of the story, everyone was able to ring the bell, as if they were in touch with a spiritual heritage.

The final stop for Orthodox cyclists was the Church of the Three Saints, where the bike ride itself began. At the memorial stone, flowers were laid on the Uman Cossacks and a photo was taken for a long and good memory. In total, the bike ride took about 2 hours, taking into account stops, and a length of more than 13 kilometers.

In conclusion, I would like to say that the name of the bike ride was not chosen by chance. Since the path to the temple, to God, is different for everyone and requires a certain time. Among the people who took part in the bike ride were those who were already able to come to the temple, and those who were still “hesitating” to make a decision, but thanks to the bike ride called “Road to the Temple 2015” there was already one more, but still they were able to take a decisive step closer to the Orthodox heritage. And this suggests that Orthodox youth combines everything beautiful - faith, spirituality, patriotism, respect for own history and sports direction. This means that the state itself will remain unshakable in our time.

Art. counselor
MBOU secondary school No. 1
V. Pashchenko

From 21 to 26 August 2018 The Nizhny Novgorod diocese is organizing the IX Interdiocesan bicycle ride for Orthodox youth “The Road to the Temple,” dedicated to the 1030th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus'.

Bike ride route: Nizhny Novgorod – Bogorodsk – Vorsma – Pavlovo – Murom – Kulebaki – Ardatov – Diveevo – Shatki – Lukoyanov – Pochinki – Saransk.

The “Road to the Temple” bike ride has become unique business card youth work of the Nizhny Novgorod diocese - it is known in many districts and other areas through which the bike ride has passed over the years. It has already become a good tradition for Metropolitan George to participate in the start of the bike ride, who supports this initiative and blesses the children for the bike pilgrimage.

Pilgrims on bicycles will visit temples and monasteries along the route, take part in prayers, divine services, and conduct environmental actions(cleaning up garbage in forests and on river banks), will help parishes in restoring churches and cleaning their territory, will visit local museums and attractions, and meet with the ruling bishops of the dioceses and youth activists.

Participation in the “Road to the Temple” bike ride is a unique opportunity to get acquainted with the history and traditions of your Orthodox Fatherland, make new friends, and visit picturesque natural places Nizhny Novgorod region, plunge into healing springs, connect your body and soul to healthy image life.

Participants in the bike ride this year along the route will visit the shrines of the Vyksa and Lyskovsk dioceses, visit ancient city Murom, according to tradition, they will visit the shrines of the Diveyevo land and complete the bike ride in the Saransk diocese, where they will visit one of the most beautiful Russian cities– Saransk with its shrines and attractions. Bicycle pilgrimage will be an unforgettable journey, which will leave the kindest memories for its participants for life.

The ceremonial start of the bike ride will take place on August 21 at 14.00 from Cathedral in honor of the Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky (Nizhny Novgorod, Strelka St., 3a). The solemn launch ceremony will be led by Metropolitan GEORGE of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas,

As part of the bike ride, in connection with the mournful date of the 100th anniversary of martyrdom celebrated this year Royal Passion-Bearers, V Diveyevo Monastery A youth memorial service will be celebrated for the innocent victims.

WE INVITE young people aged 18 to 35 years to take part in the bike ride.

Those wishing to take part in the bike ride must submit an application in the form electronic registration. Link to electronic registration form: https://goo.gl/forms/jHqXkTUfMMQQY8ki1.

The number of participants in the bike ride is limited. View more detailed information and you can register in the bike ride group on the Vkontakte.ru resource using the link.