Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, began a working visit to Cyprus on July 20, 2026. The trip is taking place with the blessing of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. This is reported by Sigmalive with reference to the Patriarchate. Anthony has already led the services at the Russian Church of St. Nicholas in Limassol.

At the airport of Larnaca, the metropolitan was met by the rector of St. Nicholas Church, Archpriest Pavel Povalyaev. On the evening of the same day, on the eve of the feast of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, Metropolitan Anthony celebrated an all-night vigil in the church.

With whom did Anthony celebrate the festive liturgy?

On July 21, the day of the feast of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, Metropolitan Anthony celebrated the liturgy in St. Nicholas Church together with Metropolitan Timothy of Vostra, Exarch of the Holy Sepulcher in Cyprus, representing the Jerusalem Patriarchate on the island. The service was attended by the rector of the parish, Archpriest Pavel Povalyaev, and clerics who were on a pilgrimage to Cyprus. At the end of the service, Metropolitan Anthony addressed the faithful with a sermon.

For which the rector of the Limassol church received the order.

A separate event was the celebration of the rector: Archpriest Pavel Povalyaev turned 50 years old. Having congratulated him, Metropolitan Anthony, with the blessing of Patriarch Kirill, presented the hero of the day with the Order of St. Seraphim of Sarov, III degree.

What are the objectives of the visit?

The Moscow Patriarchate did not inform about the objectives of the visit. The trip is designated as a work trip.

For the Russian-speaking community of the island, the figure of Metropolitan Anthony is familiar firsthand: it was he who consecrated the St. Nicholas Church in the Limassol district of Kalogiri on May 19, 2024. The church was built for Russian-speaking parishioners on land donated to the Moscow Patriarchate by the Cypriot Orthodox Church.

https://lenta.cy/na-kipr-pribyl-mitropolit-rpc-antonij-volokolamskij-s-rabochim-vizitom/