Thousands gathered Pentecost Sunday to celebrate with Patriarch Kirill at the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius. The Patriarch, following his veneration of the relics of St. Sergius and the Divine Liturgy, spoke about the feast of Pentecost and the energies of the Holy Spirit. He also said from the balcony to thousands of worshippers outside: "The gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church of God.... The Holy Spirit shall not forsake us. We must have faith and must distance ourselves as much as possible from sin." Photos can be seen here.
Of particular interest about this Monastery for this feast, the greatest icon painters of medieval Russia, Andrei Rublev and Daniil Chyorny, were summoned to decorate the cathedral with frescoes. Rublev's icon The Trinity is the central piece of the Trinity Cathedral's iconostasis.
Also, in 1476, Ivan III invited several Pskovian masters to build the Church of the Holy Spirit. This graceful structure is one of the few remaining examples of a Russian church topped with a belltower.
