Orthodox believers observe Maundy Thursday

On the evening of 9 April, Maundy Thursday (also called Holy Thursday), Orthodox churches hold the Maundy Friday matins, known as the Twelve Gospels service. This service is dedicated to the suffering and death on the cross of Jesus Christ. During the service, 12 passages from all four Gospels are read one after another, covering the events from the Last Supper to the burial. Worshippers stand holding lit candles, which are then extinguished after the readings and taken home – a long-standing tradition.

In the photo: the reading of the Gospels at the Grodno Nativity of the Mother of God Convent.