Russian Railway Tours’ Temple Car provides rolling space for Divine Liturgy.In the “They’ve Thought of Everything” category, check out Russian Railway Tours. The company, which started in 2005, offers several packages for rail travel in Russia, including a 14-night Trans-Siberian “Imperial Russia” excursion from Moscow to Vladivostok.
Prime among travelers’ concerns for such a long journey would have to be sleeping accommodations, of course, followed by opportunities for sightseeing—both from the window and on the ground. Russian Railway Tours has all that covered. And on every train there is a dining car, a bar car and a saloon car.
But, since the train originates in Russia and crosses over 5,700 miles of Russian territory, the company also provides for passengers’ religious needs, with its Temple Car.
“Temple Car is designed to conduct Orthodox worships on both passage and at the stops,” the company’s website advises. “This car has everything that is necessary to be in a common church: altar, iconostasis, a small bell hanging on the ceiling. A unique painting can be found just outside the temple car. In a lodging car, there is a compartment for parish clergy of the mobile church, a sacristy, and even a small religious library.”
The chapel car is not normally on every trans-Siberian trip but must be arranged for ahead of time by those who wish to have the opportunity for Divine Liturgy while in motion, said Ksenia Sergeeva, a spokeswoman for the rail company.
