Chyhyryn marks 100th anniversary of St. Rafaila’s martyrdom with prayer

100 years since the martyrdom of St. Raphaila (Tartatska). Photo: Cherkasy Eparchy

On August 24, 2026, Metropolitan Theodosiy of Cherkasy and Kaniv led a concelebrated service at the Holy Trinity Convent in Chyhyryn on the feast day of Venerable Martyr Rafaila (Tartatska), Abbess of Chyhyryn, according to the Kirovohrad Eparchy’s Facebook page.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the saint’s martyrdom.

Metropolitan Theodosiy was joined in the service by Metropolitan Mykolai of Kirovohrad and Novomyrhorod, Bishop Antoniy of Korsun-Shevchenkivskyi, vicar of the Cherkasy Eparchy, and numerous visiting clergy.

During the service, the hierarchs, clergy, and faithful offered prayers for peace in Ukraine and for the intercession of Venerable Martyr Rafaila for the Ukrainian people during this time of severe trials.

The celebrations concluded with a procession around the cathedral, during which the faithful carried an icon containing a particle of the saint’s relics while church hymns were sung. At the end of the Liturgy, Metropolitan Theodosiy congratulated the sisters and parishioners of the convent on the feast day of their heavenly patroness.

As the UOJ reported, preparations had begun in Cherkasy for the 100th anniversary of the martyrdom of St. Rafaila of Chyhyryn.

Venerable Martyr Raphaela, born Raisa Tartatska, was abbess of the Holy Trinity Convent in Chyhyryn and steadfastly defended the Orthodox faith during the anti-religious persecutions of the 1920s. In August 1926, Mother Raphaela was brutally tortured and killed by militant atheists. She was glorified as a saint in 2008.

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