Representatives of the Antiochian and Serbian Orthodox Churches, as well as the Orthodox Church in America, took part in the main services of the annual Royal Days commemorations in Yekaterinburg, honoring the memory of the Imperial family and other victims killed in 1918.

In the early hours of July 17, hierarchs from different Orthodox traditions concelebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Church on the Blood in memory of the Royal Martyrs. The service was led by 20 bishops headed by Metropolitan Evgeny of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye.

Among the participants were Metropolitan Niphon of Philippopolis, representative of the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East to the Moscow Patriarchate, and Bishop Stefan of Remesiana, representative of the Patriarch of Serbia to the Moscow Patriarchate.

Representatives of the local Orthodox Churches conveyed greetings and blessings to Metropolitan Evgeny from Patriarch John X of Antioch, Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia, and Metropolitan Tikhon of All America and Canada, the primate of the Orthodox Church in America.

Metropolitan Niphon said that the Antiochian and Serbian Orthodox Churches maintain a special veneration for the Royal Martyrs, adding that the joint prayer service demonstrated the unity of Orthodox Christians.

“We continue to glorify the holy martyrs, led by Tsar Nicholas, bearing witness to the unity of our faith in the spirit of peace and love,” Metropolitan Niphon said.

Prayers during the service were offered in several languages. Around 44,000 faithful from various regions of Russia and abroad gathered at the square near the Church on the Blood. Among the pilgrims were visitors from Serbia, Italy, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, and neighboring countries.

The Royal Days are annual commemorative events in Yekaterinburg dedicated to the Imperial family: Emperor Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, their children, and others who were killed alongside them. On the night of July 16–17, 1918, they were executed in the basement of the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg. In 2000, the Russian Orthodox Church canonized the members of the Imperial family as saints.

The central event of the Royal Days traditionally is the nighttime Divine Liturgy at the Church on the Blood, built on the site of the former Ipatiev House, followed by a religious procession to the Monastery of the Holy Royal Martyrs at Ganina Yama.

This year, after the service, bishops, clergy, and faithful took part in a prayer procession covering approximately 21 kilometers to the monastery.