The Holy Laver Service at the Vatopedi Monastery

The Service of the Holy Naptiros was celebrated on the afternoon of Holy Thursday (2026) in the courtyard, on a platform in front of the doors of the catholicon, of the Holy Great Monastery of Vatopedi by the Abbot Elder Ephraim of Vatopedi and other fathers of the Brotherhood.
The Holy Lap of the Holy Sepulchre is one of the most beautiful and expressive services of the Orthodox Church. Its roots can be traced back to the first centuries of the spread of Christianity; with various additions, subtractions and variations, this particular service has been performed continuously for centuries with great solemnity on the morning of Holy Thursday in the Holy Courtyard of the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem and on the holy island of Patmos and elsewhere, in memory of the act of the Lord, who washed the feet of his disciples in the upper room of the Last Supper.
In a sign of humility and love, our Lord, Jesus Christ, rises from the supper table, takes off His garments, girds His loins and washes the feet of His disciples. It is not a ritual act, but a symbolic expression of humility. Humility is an imitation of Christ. The message of the Nipteros service is clear: in order to become a partaker of the Kingdom of God, man must humble himself, to acquire humility that elevates man to God and makes him receptive to grace. The main expression of humility is the ministry of the brother, as Christ does, who, although the teacher, washes the feet of the disciples, teaching man the value of humility and the ministry of the brother.