Monument to King David in Jerusalem

October, 7th2008

I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people, in the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord!

(Ps 115:9,10)

Blessing by His Holiness Alexy II, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia for establishing a monument to Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, on Chukotka.

Moscow, 2004.

Opinion of schema-hegumen Ilya, confessor of the Optina Pustyn Monastery on establishing the monuments to the Orthodox Saints:

On December 6th, 2007, His Holiness Alexy II, Patriarch of Moscow and
All Russia, blessed the establishing of the monument to King David in Jerusalem.

On the photo: presentation of the first monument’s conception.

The meeting of the projects’ participants on creating and establishing a monument to King David.

Moscow, May 5th, 2008.

David Soussana, Advisor to Mayor of Jerusalem for Art and Design
attended all the stages of King David monument’s creation (to the
left on the photo, to the right is Andrey Y. Bykov, Chairman
of the Board, Charitable Foundation of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker).

David Soussana and Alexander Sergeevich Demin, sculptor, author of the monument to King David.

The municipality of the city of Jerusalem determined the place
of the monument – the square in front of the Cenacle’s entrance
and King David’s Tomb – and took pains on constructing the pedestal.

October 7th , 2008, the Charitable Foundation of Saint Nicholas
the Wonderworker established a monument to Saint King David,
the Prophet and Psalmist on Saint Mount Zion in Jerusalem.
The statue from bronze was established nearby the King’s tomb,
underneath the walls of the Abbey of the Dormition of the
Virgin Mary and the windows of the Last Supper room.

A group of 128 pilgrims of the Charitable Foundation of Saint Nicholas
the Wonderworker arrived in the Holy Land to attend the inauguration
and consecration of the monument. The delegation consisted of
7 bishops and more than 40 clerics of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The pilgrims’ delegation from the Charitable Foundation
of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker was hosted by
His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem.

October 6th, 2008.

The copy of the monument to King David donated to
His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem.

His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem together with
archiereus and clergy who arrived with the Foundation’s pilgrims group.

His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem together with
the Charitable Foundation of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker management
and S. M. Isakov, Honored Artist of Russia, author of the Christ the Savior
bronze bust, donated by the Foundation to the Patriarch of Jerusalem.

The start of the inauguration and consecration of monument to King David.
The square in front of the Cenacle’s entrance and King David’s Tomb.

Speech by A.Y. Bykov, Chairman of the Board, the Charitable
Foundation of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker.

The Russian Ecclesiastical mission in Jerusalem was represented by: Archimandrite Tikhon, Head of the Mission and Hegumenia Georgia,
mother superior of Gorny Convent.

Andrey Y. Bykov and Michael I. Chepel, Orthodox patrons
of Arts who allocated their private finances
to implement this project, participated in
the inauguration and consecration of the monument.

With the blessing of His Holiness Alexy II, Patriarch of Moscow
and all Russia, the consecration of the monument to King David,
Saint Prophet and Psalmist, was headed by Metropolitan Isidor
of Yekaterinodar and Kuban, Chairman of the Ecclesiastical Court
of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Speech by Metropolitan Sergii of Voronezh and Borisoglebsk.

‘… this square is honored by all three world religions’
– specified David Soussana, Advisor to Mayor of Jerusalem, Arts and Design

The Judaic rabbi together with his disciples watched
the inauguration and consecration of the monument.

The office of the monument’s consecration was attended by
(from the left to the right):
Archbishop Prokl of Simbirsk and Melekess,
Metropolitan Sergii of Voronezh and Borisoglebsk,
Archbishop Gavriil of Blagoveschensk and Tynda,
Metropolitan Isidor of Ekaterinodar and Kuban,
Archbishop Ignaty of Petropavlovsk and Kamchatka,
Archbishop Panteleimon of Rostov and Novocherkassk,
Bishop Tikhon of Arkhangelsk and Kholmogory.

Archimandrite Isidore, Sceuophylax of the Church of the
Resurrection of Christ and Archimandrite Khrizostos,
member of the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre arrived to attend
the office of King David monument consecration with the
blessing of His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem.

Andrey Y. Bykov with his daughter Alexandra.

Andrey Y. Bykov with Nikolay Ivanovich Derzhavin, assistant to His Holiness Alexey II, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia.

The eyes of King David are turned to the Cenacle where the Last Supper took place.

Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov, Chairman of the Synodal Department for Cooperation with the Armed Forces and Law Enforcement Agencies, Moscow Patriarchate

Assumed site of King David’s Tomb.

Official reception of the Charitable Foundation of Nicholas
the Wonderworker delegation in the Mayor’s Office of Jerusalem,
on the occasion of the inauguration of the monument to Saint
King David, the Prophet and Psalmist. Prior to the official
part the national anthems of Russia and Israel were performed.

Speech by A.Y. Bykov, Chairman of the Board, the Charitable Foundation
of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker.

Speech by Uri Lupolyanski, Mayor of Jerusalem.

The copy of King David monument presented
to Uri Lupolyanski, Mayor of Jerusalem.

A gift from the New Jerusalem Foundation.

Transfer of the King David Monument Donation
Agreement signed by the Mayor of Jerusalem.

The souvenir with the image of King David monument,
signed by the Mayor and Advisor to Mayor for Art and Design.

A special edition of King David’s psalms in Russian and Hebrew was published
by the Mayor Office for the Foundation’s delegation, run of 140 copies.

A delegation from Bari (Italy) was part of the Charitable Foundation
of Nicholas the Wonderworker pilgrim’s group

On the photo:
Elio Sannicandro, Head, Department of strategic planning,
Administration of Bari (Italy);
Annamaria Colafati, Mayor’s Assistant, Bari;
Uri Lupolyanski, Mayor of Jerusalem;
Riccardo Pierno, Director, Foundation’s office in Italy;
David Soussana, Advisor to Mayor of Jerusalem, Art and Design;
Mikhael Ivanovich Chepel, General Director of the Foundation;
Andrey Yurievich Bykov, Foundation’s Chairman of the Board

The Russian Ecclesiastic Mission in Jerusalem. The Holy Trinity Cathedral.

The Russian Ecclesiastic Mission in Jerusalem. The Holy Trinity Cathedral. Thanksgiving service on successful arrival to the Holy Land.

October 4th, 2008.

The Liturgy in the Gorny Convent.
October 5th, 2008.

Archbishop Gavriil of Blagoveschensk and Tynda

Spring of the Most Holy Mother of God.
October 5th, 2008.

The Chapel of the Ascension of Our Lord on Eleon, the Mount of Olives

October 5th, 2008

View on the Russian Convent of Saint Equal-to-the-Apls Maria Magdalena.

October 5th, 2008

Archbishop Ignaty of Petropavslovsk and Kamchatka.

The Shepherds Church is the underground church,
established in the cave where angles appeared
to three shepherds on Christmas announcing
the birth of the Savior.

October 6th, 2008.

The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Bethlehem is King David’s homeland and Christ the Savior’s birthplace.

October 6th, 2008.

The altar is in the central niche with the Silver Star underneath identifying the site over which the Star of the East stopped when the Savior was born.

Gethsemane. The Tomb of the Most Holly Mother of God. October 7th, 2008.

Gethsemane. The Tomb of the Most Holly Mother of God.
October 7th, 2008.

The Russian Convent of Saint Equal-to-the-Apls Maria Magdalena, a site where the relics of the Venerable martyrs of Grand Duchess Elizabetha Fedorovna and nun Varvara repose.

October 7th, 2008.

The Way of the Cross. Via Dolorosa (Way of Sorrow) is a road, which the Savior took to Golgotha, the place of His Death on the Cross. According to the Orthodox tradition the Way of the Cross starts from Pretoria, where a prison was located in the days of Jesus Christ, in which prisoners were kept before the Judgment of Pontius Pilate, Roman procurator.

October 7th, 2008.