In Jerusalem, the Holy Fire descended at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

The fire, according to tradition, was brought out of the Aedicule (the structure located above the Holy Sepulchre) by Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem.

The Holy Fire from Jerusalem will first be taken to Bethlehem — the birthplace of the Savior — and then distributed throughout the world.

The great mystery of Christianity — the descent of the Holy Fire — takes place annually on Holy Saturday at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

According to the testimonies of the apostles and the Holy Fathers, the heavenly fire first descended in the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem in the 3rd century. According to tradition, during the Easter litany the oil in the lamps ran out, and Patriarch Narcissus ordered them to be filled with water from the Pool of Siloam. When this was done, fire came down from heaven and ignited the lamps, which did not go out throughout the entire service.

Today, late at night, the Holy Fire will be brought to Georgia. First, it will be taken to the Sioni Cathedral, where the Easter liturgy will be celebrated by the locum tenens of the patriarchal throne, Metropolitan Shio.

The Orthodox Church today, on Holy Saturday, commemorates the burial of Christ. In the morning, the rite of the Burial Shroud procession and the funeral service of the Savior took place in churches. During the liturgy, the black vestments of the clergy are replaced with colored ones, symbolizing the Resurrection. Prophecies about the coming of the Messiah are read in the churches. The Easter liturgy will begin at 11:00 p.m., and at midnight the procession and Easter matins will take place.