An estimated three million people came to Moscow to see a Christian relic

November 28, 2011

More than three million people lined up to see a Christian relic said to have once belonged to the Virgin Mary. The AFP reports that the Belt of the Virgin Mary spent 40 days on display at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, where lines to see the sacred item would stretch three miles every day.

"Nearly three million people came to the relic over this time, according to the most modest estimates," Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill said after a service at the airport before the relic was sent back to Greece, according to the news source. "Such forceful pull of people towards the holy cannot be explained with any human arguments."

Rumors were circulating that church officials took the relic on a helicopter ride above the Russian capital to bless the entire city, but the publication states that the flight never took place.

People can make calls to Russia to find out if their loved ones had the chance to see the holy relic while it was in Moscow.

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