Author Topic: The Gifts of the Magi  (Read 4522 times)

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Offline Maik

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The Gifts of the Magi
« on: Tuesday, 07 January, 2014 @ 01:30:11 »
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One of the biggest Christian relics, the Gifts of the Wise Men to the newborn Jesus, have been delivered from Greece's Thessaloniki to Moscow on the eve of the Orthodox Christmas to be celebrated overnight to Tuesday.

The Gifts have left the Agiou Pavlou (St. Paul's) monastery on Mount Athos in Greece for the first time since the 15th century. The relics are accompanied by a delegation of the brethren led by Archimandrite Parfeny (Mourelatos), who has been living in Athos for more than 50 years.

The gifts of the Wise Men of the East, gold, frankincense and myrrh, are kept in the monastery's sacristry. The gold is in 28 square and triangular plates bearing the finest ornament and measuring 5 by 7 centimeters. The frankincense and myrrh are in dark olive-like balls numbering 70.

The legend has it that shortly before her death, Virgin Mary gave these gifts to two righteous women. Later on, these relics were brought to Byzantium, and after the Turkish conquest in 1453, they were taken to Mount Athos by a Serb nun Mary.
http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_01_07/Gifts-of-Wise-Men-to-newborn-Jesus-to-be-displayed-in-Moscow-till-Jan-13-3346/