On January 7, 2023, on the feast of the Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the Church of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Elena, located on the territory of the summer residence of the Consulate General of Russia in Istanbul. The divine service, which was led by Priest Georgy Sergeyev, responsible for the organization of the care of the flock of the Russian Orthodox Church in the territory of the Republic of Turkey, was attended by more than 100 people, most of whom received Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ.
Believers of the Moscow Patriarchate living in the city of Bursa arrived in Istanbul for the festive Liturgy.
At the end of the service, Father George read out the Christmas Message of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, then addressed the audience with a welcoming speech. After the service, the children who were present in the church received Christmas gifts.
For the first time this year, on the feast of the Nativity of Christ, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the community of the capital of the Turkish Republic, Ankara. The divine service, which took place in the Rossotrudnichestvo building, was led by the cleric of the Moscow Regional Diocese, Priest Yevgeny Dolya, who arrived with the blessing of the Hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church. The staff of the Russian Embassy in Ankara, as well as the director of the Russian House in Ankara, A. Sotnichenko, prayed at the Liturgy, which was attended by about 100 people.
On the feast of the Nativity of Christ, a divine service was also performed for believers living in the Turkish province of Antalya. More than 120 people from various settlements of the province – Kemer, Side and Manavgat - gathered for the Liturgy, which was performed by Priest Alexy Golovin, responsible for the care of the Russian-speaking flock in the Antalya region.
The Divine Liturgy in the city of Alanya on the night of January 7 was led by priest Dimitri Bogatyr, responsible for the care of Russian-speaking believers. More than 120 people prayed during the service.
Christmas services on January 6 and 7 were held for employees of the nuclear power plant under construction in Akkuyu. The statutory services of the holiday were performed by Hieromonk Palladius (Bystrov), a resident of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, who temporarily nursed the community.
On January 6 and 7, divine services were held in the region of the Turkish Aegean coast in the cities of Kusadasi (Aydin province) and Izmir. The Divine Liturgy was celebrated by Priest Alexander Brilenkov, an employee of the Moscow Patriarchate's Affairs Department, who arrived with the blessing of the Hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church. About 40 people attended the services these days.
On January 9, Priest Georgy Sergeyev celebrated the Divine Liturgy for the faithful of the Moscow Patriarchate living in the city of Samsun on the Black Sea coast of Turkey.
On January 12, a Christmas service was held in the city of Eskisehir, located 300 kilometers southeast of Istanbul. The liturgy was celebrated by the priest Georgy Sergeyev.