Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, where, according to the Russian Orthodox Church, the relics of Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy were “discovered” shortly before. “Access to the relics was gained in July of this year during restoration work carried out in connection with the subsidence of the floor slabs and the threat of destruction of the tombs over the graves of the great princes,” writes the Kremlin press service.
Several fragments were separated from the remains of Dmitry Donskoy, which were completely preserved in the sarcophagus, with the exception of the left heel bone: the Russian Orthodox Church proposed to “send part of the relics to the Northern Military District zone for the veneration of Orthodox military personnel.”
During his visit to the cathedral, Putin approved the Russian Orthodox Church’s plans for the relics, The Moscow Times reports. “I spoke with His Holiness yesterday, I know about his plans [по поводу мощей Дмитрия Донского]. Give him your best wishes,” Putin said.
He called the discovery of the relics “absolutely unique,” “amazing,” and “wonderful.” Meanwhile, the publication notes, both historians and the Russian Orthodox Church knew where Dmitry Donskoy, whom the Russian Orthodox Church canonized in 1988, is buried. Moreover, the tomb had already been excavated before – in the 1860s the sarcophagi were moved higher than they were previously.
Most of the remains of Dmitry Donskoy will remain at the burial site, and several fragments in special “arks” for the relics will be “mobilized” for “religious processions” in the combat zone.
Let us recall that in July 2026, in the occupied territory of the Donetsk region, the relics of St. Alexander Nevsky, which were being transported for a prayer service, were lost. Russian media reported that the transport convoy came under fire while transporting the shrine, as a result of which the relic was lost and those accompanying it were killed.
Last year, particles of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Saints Peter and Fevronia of Murom, St. Luke of Crimea and Matrona of Moscow, as well as several icons, were delivered to the front, The Moscow Times recalls.