The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, will hold a liturgy in the Savior Borodino Convent in the Moscow Region to mark the 200th anniversary of Russia’s victory in the Patriotic War of 1812.

After the divine service at the battlefield where the Russian and French armies fought two centuries ago, the patriarch will hold a prayer in front of the miracle-working icon of Our Lady of Smolensk (Hodegetria), before which Russian military commanders and soldiers prayed on the eve of the Battle of Borodino.

The Battle of Borodino occurred on September 7, 1812, during France’s invasion of Russia. Overall, more than 70,000 were killed, wounded and captured.