Rector of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker Church in Bari spoke about the preparations for Easter

Preparations are underway for Easter celebrations in Bari, Italy, where the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, one of the most revered saints in Russia, are kept. This was reported on Friday, April 18, by the correspondent of Izvestia, Vitaly Chashchukhin.

"Saint Nicholas, the most beloved saint of our people. You know that most of all the temples in our church are dedicated to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker," said the rector of the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Bari.

There is also a laboratory in this Italian city where they study the Shroud of Turin, a Christian artifact, presumably the cloth in which the body of Jesus Christ was wrapped after the crucifixion.

"To study the Shroud of Turin, we have developed a new technique based on X—rays. <..> Thanks to it, we can determine how ancient the sample in front of us is," explained scientist Liberato De Caro.

Holy Week in 2025: how to fast and behave

On April 14, Orthodox Christians begin six days of the strictest fasting.

Easter is established in honor of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is the center of the entire biblical history and the basis of all Christian teaching. This is a transitional holiday, and in 2025, Orthodox believers and Catholics will celebrate it on the same day — April 20.