In the Samtavro monastery of Georgia, the first icons were consecrated, which were made within the framework of the "We pray together" project, initiated by the "Georgian FNCA of Russia", reports Georgia Online.
The ceremony took place on September 10, near the relics of Saint Gabriel Urgebadze. The first icon named "Friendship of the Peoples of Russia and Georgia" depicts Saints Gabriel Urgebadze and Seraphim Sarovsky, whom the organizers call "great holy spiritual fathers of Russia and Georgia".
After the consecration, it is planned to transfer the icons to the churches of the Russian Orthodox Church in Russia. According to the organization, the first images were prepared with the personal funds of heads of Georgian national-cultural associations living in different regions of Russia. The ceremony of presenting the icons as a gift to Russian temples is planned for October.
Lasha Tsitsilashvili, vice president of "Georgian FNCA of Russia" arrived in Georgia to participate in the ceremony.
The organizers announced that in the future, within the framework of the "Let's pray together" project, it is planned to exchange Orthodox saints between Russia and Georgia, as well as to hold other religious events.
Since 2021, Davit Tsetskhladze has been managing the "Georgian FNKA of Russia". In 2024, by the decree of the Russian President Vladimir Putin, he was included in the Inter-Ethnic Relations Council under the Russian President. According to the organization, representatives of the Georgian diaspora were not included in the council until then.
