On September 14, 2026, on the day of the church's New Year, the St. Simeon's Procession started in Alapaevsk for the 18th time. The pilgrims took part in a festive divine service and the consecration of the lower church in honor of the August Icon of the Mother of God in the revived Alexander Nevsky Church in Alapaevsk. The crusaders will once again walk along the same road that the pilgrims used 100 years ago — forests, swamps, and difficult trails. On the way, they will make stops at monasteries and temples of ancient villages, including Rychkovo and Merkushino.
The pilgrims will have to walk almost 200 kilometers to Verkhoturye in 11 days. Believers plan to reach their destination by September 25 to take part in festive divine services in honor of St. Simeon of Verkhoturye in the spiritual capital of the Urals. "The "Simeon Trail" — the way of the righteous Simeon on a pilgrimage to Tagilskaya Sloboda, the most difficult segment of the entire route; "Nizhneselimskaya road from Alapaevsk to Mezhnaya", along which the Holy Martyr Elizabeth was carried.; The Merkushino — Verkhoturye tract is the way of transferring the holy relics of Saint Simeon.
The St. Simeon's Cross Procession is one of the longest prayer processions in Russia. The crusaders will walk the entire way under the protection of the Heavenly Patrons of Yekaterinburg and the entire region — the Holy Great Martyr Catherine and the righteous Simeon Verkhotursky. Icons of saints in specially made kiots will "lead" the procession.
— St. Simeon's procession has a deep history and special significance, which are inextricably linked with the Urals. Believers from Moscow and the Moscow region, Tatarstan, Novosibirsk region, Altai and Perm territories join us. And, of course, residents of the region join the procession along the way," said Oleg Morozov, the organizer of the St. Simeon's Procession.
The procession traditionally takes place with the blessing of Metropolitan Evgeny of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye and with the support of the St. Catherine Foundation.
The tradition of the St. Simeon's procession originated more than 300 years ago. In 1704, the relics of St. Simeon of Verkhoturye were transferred from Merkushino to the Verkhoturye St. Nicholas Monastery, and then the first route option was formed. In 1914, it increased significantly thanks to the Imperial Family: this year, the relics of the saint were transferred to the new Holy Cross Cathedral in Verkhoturye, the construction of which was timed to coincide with the 300th anniversary of the reign of the House of Romanov. With the coming to power of the Bolsheviks, the tradition of religious processions was interrupted — the holy relics were seized and returned to the Russian Orthodox Church only in 1989.