The Descent of the Holy Fire in Jerusalem: live broadcast from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

On Easter Eve, thousands of believers gather at the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Jerusalem to witness the miracle of the Descent of the Holy Fire. In 2025, it will take place on April 19th. Izvestia is broadcasting this event live in Russian.

The descent of the Holy Fire will begin at 13:00 Moscow time. An online broadcast of the ceremony will be available on the Izvestia website. It will also be shown live on other federal channels.

The Holy Fire is the flame that ignites on Holy Saturday before Easter in the Jerusalem Church of the Resurrection of the Lord, revered as the burial place of Christ. There are several great Christian shrines there at once: the Holy Sepulchre, the Stone of the Anointing, on which, according to legend, the Savior was prepared for burial, as well as the world's largest fragment of the Life-Giving Cross.

For Orthodox believers, the appearance of the Holy Fire is a symbol of the resurrection of Jesus, the victory of life over death and justice over deception. It is believed that if the holy flame does not ignite, it will be an omen of Doomsday. However, this has never happened before.

The descent of the Holy Fire takes place in a stone structure in the center of the Church of the Resurrection of the Lord. A pillar of fire appears inside it, from which candles and lamps are lit.

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The demand for cakes, eggs, and dyes has doubled or tripled.

Since 2003, the St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation has been delivering Holy Fire to Russia. In 2025, the shrine can be seen in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and in 15 other Moscow churches. Throughout Holy Week, believers will be able to light their lamps from it.

Earlier, Izvestia told how to prepare for Easter, when baking cakes and painting eggs.