The Russian Orthodox Church of Our Lady of Kazan
The Orthodox Church of Our Lady of Kazan serves Orthodox Christians in
San Francisco
and the surrounding Bay Area of Northern California. We preach sermons in both Russian and English languages, serving both Russian and English-speaking communities in the area. Our church is a Mission Parish of the Diocese of San Francisco and
Western America
of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR)
Our church is consecrated in the name of Our Lady of Kazan, a holy icon discovered in the town of
Kazan
in the 16th century, some years after the liberation of
Kazan
by Ivan the Terrible from Tatars. Our Church strives to live by the message of Christ, in which there are no outcasts and all are welcome! Please join us at Our Lady of Kazan Russian Orthodox Church in
San Francisco
,
California
and see with your own eyes the beauty which we wish to share with you!
If you have questions about our church or the Russian Orthodox faith, please contact us either via email or phone.
Our Lady of Kazan Icon History
On 4 November, Orthodox believers commemorate the icon of Our Lady of Kazan, one of the most venerated icons in
Russia
. The icon was discovered in the town of
Kazan
25 years after Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible conquered the hostile Tartar state of
Kazan
. Prior to 1612, the Icon of Our Lady of Kazan was a locally venerated icon, and a feast in its honour was established on the day it revealed itself, 21 July.
During Smuta, the Time of Troubles, Polish invaders seized
Moscow
. Germogen, the Patriach of
Moscow
and All Russia, who was then in prison, appealed to the nation. He called for unity in the struggle against the invaders. He also gave instructions that people should bring the Icon of Our Lady of Kazan to
Moscow
. On the eve of the decisive battle, the clergy served a prayer service before the wonder-working Icon of Our Lady of Kazan. After fierce battles, the Russian militia drove the Polish invaders out of the capital. To mark the event, Tsar Mikhail Romanov established a second holiday in the honour of the Icon of Our Lady of Kazan on 4 November.
Later, the Kazan Cathedral was built on
Red Square
to house the icon. Destroyed in Soviet times, the cathedral was rebuilt in the 1990s.
Two major cathedrals, in
Moscow
and in
St Petersburg
, are consecrated in her name, as are numerous churches throughout the world, including our church, Our Lady of Kazan Russian Orthodox Church of San Francisco, California. Her feast days are July 21 and November 4 (which is also the Day of National Unity). On one of the feast days of the holy icon, July 21, 2005, Patriarch Alexis II and Mintimer Shaymiev, the President of Tatarstan, placed the original icon at the Annunciation Cathedral of the Kazan Kremlin. The icon is enshrined in the Church of the Elevation of the Holy Cross, the site where the original icon of Our Lady of Kazan was found.