16th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest People
Pilgrimage

Cross Procession to Pochaev monastery is an annual pilgrimage in Ukraine, dedicated to the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Eastern Orthodox legend tells that the Virgin Mary appeared to the monks in the shape of a column of fire, leaving her footprint in the rock she stood upon. For more than 150 years the procession gathered thousands of pilgrims who would cross the path of 210 kilometers during seven days.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 08.2017
Date Uploaded: 09.2018
Photo Location: Ukraine
Camera: NIKON D610
Copyright: © Oleksandr Rupeta