"Pascha at Dachau"

"Pascha at Dachau"

On Easter Day, May 6, 1945, 18 Orthodox priests, one deacon, and several believers entered barrack No. 26, where British and American prisoners had a chapel in a small room. The sick Greek Archimandrite Meletios was brought on a stretcher, and the whole servicehe lay, unable to get up, praying and being baptized along with everyone else. There was nothing in the chapel except a small table and a single icon of the Most Holy Theotokos "Czestochowa" hanging on the wall.

And Boris F., the chief interpreter of the committee of prisoners, came to the barracks to Gleb Aleksandrovich Rar. He said that, thanks to the help and participation of the Greek and Yugoslav committee of prisoners, everything was prepared to hold a real Pascha service! Even though there were no priestly vestments, the prisoners sewed stole from towels, sewing red hospital crosses on them. They did not have service books, icons, candles, prosphora and church wine. But there was faith and mercy of God, which appeared in this terrible place.

In the entire history of the Orthodox Church, there has never been such an Pascha service as on May 6, 1945 in Dachau - Memorial Day of the great Orthodox saint and warrior George the Victorious! Homemade robes of priests from towels with sewn on hospital crosses were worn directly on the striped prison uniforms. They served from memory. The Pascha canon, the Pascha stichera - everyone sang by heart. After the exclamation of the priest, the choir sang hymns in Greek, and then in Church Slavonic. The gospel was also read from memory. The young Athonite monk came out in front of the fathers, bowed, and in a voice trembling with excitement began to recite the Word on Pascha of St. John Chrysostom by heart. He spoke the Word and wept. And everyone around was crying too. From the very heart of death, from the depths of this earthly hell, the words "Christ is Risen!" And in response it was heard: “Truly Risen!”