Pilgrims Ride to Cathedral Hill for the Feast of St. Janyl

IYIK JANYL — Pilgrims, many of them on horseback, filled the cathedral esplanade on Cathedral Hill yesterday for the Feast of St. Janyl, as mounted priests moved among the assembled horses and sheep, blessing them with glacial spring water. Riders from the tribal regions crossed the Qara-Chik line unarmed at crossing points organized by the archbishopric and the UN mission, and rode the last miles up the valley in long columns.

Archbishop Mar Ephrem celebrated the liturgy in the Church of St. Janyl, using kümöch, the round unleavened bread stamped with a cross and the Star of Irad, amid the smoke of mountain juniper. The feast continued with candlelit processions, horse races in the valley below the city and communal meals of beef and mutton. The archbishopric estimated attendance at more than 150,000; no independent count was available.

Under an understanding reached during the 2007 ceasefire talks, armed units of the Gendarmerie and of the El-Choro do not enter the cathedral precinct, and UN observers monitored the crossings. IradOne broadcast the liturgy live. Guesthouses and church hostels in the city reported every bed taken.