08.05.2024
VATOPEDI MONASTERY VIDEO LIBRARY
The Holy Laundering Service at the Holy Great Monastery of Vatopedi
The Holy Lap of the Virgin was celebrated on Holy Thursday in the Synod of the Holy Great Monastery of Vatopedi by the Abbot Elder Ephraim of Vatopedi. The Holy Lap of the Virgin 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 Himself with a girdle, and washes the feet of His disciples. It is not a ritual act, but a symbolic expression of humility.