Memorial to Victims of the Stalinist Purges

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These photos are from a service at Solovetsky Monastery in northern Russia.

A large wooden cross was blessed that will be taken to Butovo outside of Moscow.

The service and cross are part of ceremonies in remembrance of the victims of the Stalinist purges.

This article from the Moscow Times gives more details on the observances that mark the 70th anniversary of the "Great Purge".

As the article notes:

"On the same day as the gathering, a memorial procession organized by the Russian Orthodox Church set out from the Solovetsky Islands, Interfax reported Wednesday. After a two-week journey, the procession will deliver a cross to the Butovo shooting range south of Moscow. More than 20,000 people were executed at the range in 1937 and 1938."