Archimandrite and the concelebrating priests kiss the Holy Things on the covers and the rim of the Table, and one another over the right shoulder, embracing at the same time by putting one arm over the left shoulder and the other over the right. After this, the choirs sang the Creed, while the Archimandrite and the priests waved the Aër (a thin piece of fine linen) over the gifts.

Then followed the consecration, the deacons waving the fans, or wings of Cherubim, over the uncovered gifts, and, at the moment of the great oblation, after our Lord's words of institution, and before the Invocation of the Holy Ghost, I saw the chief Deacon lift up a little from the altar the paten and the chalice, both at once, having his wrists crossed. Before the Invocation, the celebrating Priests all made certain secret ejaculations as a preparation, and prostrated themselves to the ground, saying the same words thrice (the like to which they had done also just before the great Introit, before leaving the altar for the Prothesis); and again after the Invocation, when the Consecration was perfected, they all bowed to the very ground all round the alt as the elders round the Throne and the Lamb in the Apocalypse; and this, I am told, is the universal practice through Russia, though not prescribed by any rubric nor usual in the Levant.

Then followed in a low voice the prayers for the

departed, and those for the living, names being read at the same time from the diptychs, while the choirs sang an anthem in honour of the Blessed Virgin. After a short Ectencia, the curtain within the iconostasis (or screen) being drawn back, the Archimandrite lifted up the Oblation with the words "Holy Things for the Holy." An anthem followed, called the Communion, during which the Archimandrite divided the Lamb, as it is called, into four parts, putting the top or eastern part of the stamp or seal (I.H.C.) into the chalice, and then pouring in from a silver shell a little hot water. Then he communicated himself from the part having the stamp XC., which he had divided into the requisite number of particles for the clergy concelebrating and ministering within the altar, while each of the concelebrating priests came up in his turn, and kissing first the antiminse, took to himself his particle from the paten into his hand, and, closing it, went round to his place, and there made a reverence and communicated himself. Then the Archimandrite communicated the deacons. And, having finished, he communicated first himself and then the rest of the priests with the chalice, afterwards the deacons. Then he put into the chalice the two parts of the Lamb NI and KA for the communion of the inferior clerks without the Altar and the laity. While the

2 [Series of collects, or litany, or bidding prayer.]

choirs sung a troparion, the deacon wiped with a sponge all the remaining particles and crumbs from the paten into the chalice, and covered them both; and afterwards at the prothesis consumed what remained in it.

Then the Archimandrite, after saying a prayer, distributed to the people the Antidoron (consisting of small squares of blessed bread), and gave his final blessing.

CHAPTER XXXV.

The Dinner of the Sergiefsky Festival.

HE Church was thronged. Afterwards many

THE

persons, ladies as well as men, went to visit the archimandrite for the festival. The great church, out of which we now went, stands in the middle of the walled precinct, with a cemetery around it, where many of the nobility are buried. This is the usual plan and appearance of Russian monasteries. As one approaches from without, one sees a battlemented wall, with towers perhaps at intervals, especially over or near the great gates, the walls about which are painted in colours with some scriptural or ecclesiastical history and there will be an icon over the doorway. The walls themselves are whitewashed, but the copings of the battlements and the conical tops of the towers are coloured green or red. But before noticing these, one has probably seen in the distance, or caught glimpses at intervals of the five gilded cupolas and crosses of the chief church rising above the walls or among the trees,

On

and, highest of all, the bulb of the belfry-tower. entering one sees the lodgings of the monks attached all round to the wall of the precinct, like casemates. Even if there is no cemetery, there will be green turf round the central church divided by gravel-walks or flag-pavements, sometimes with avenues of trees leading up to the church, and there will be similar pavements or walls running all round the precinct in front of the cells. Probably too there will be a number of trees scattered about within, which, though not of any beauty or size in the North of Russia, give a more varied and more cheerful aspect to the place, especially in summer.

As I entered the Archimandrite's lodgings the singers were chanting at the blessing of some refreshments called zakuska, which were offered to all present, and of which each person tasted standing.

Here I was

One of

accosted in English by two or three officers. these, Admiral Ricard, was sent to England when young by the Empress Catharine, and not long ago he was Governor of Kamschatka. Another had lost a leg, but notwithstanding that, he has since travelled in the Levant, to Palestine and Egypt, and to the Seven Churches of Asia Minor. After the crowd of visitors had left, those who were invited accompanied the Archimandrite and the brethren to the refectory, where we found a long table spread, there being about forty monks to dine, besides the guests. At the end