Decree (Ukaze)

of His Imperial Majesty and Autocrat of All-Russia
from
the Holy Synod

№ 2874 — April 22, 1902

On October 11, 1901, the Head of the Beijing Ecclesiastical Mission, Archimandrite Innocent presented a list with the names of 222 Orthodox Chinese killed for their faith during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900, asking for permission

1. to build a church on the site of the ruined Mission church in Beijing in honor of all the holy martyrs of the Orthodox Church, with a crypt under the altar for the burial of the bones of the murdered Chinese Orthodox and
2. to designate (for the Orthodox Church in China) June 10th and 11th for commemoration of the Chinese Martyrs which would follow this order of services: On June 10th there would be a strict fast transferred to the nearest Friday if this date fell on a Saturday or Sunday with a Liturgy for the Departed and a Memorial Service for the murdered Orthodox Chinese, and on June 11th there would be a solemn Liturgy in the Church in honor of all Holy Martyrs of the Orthodox Church, with a procession to the site of their martyrdom, or around the Church, with the singing of the irmos "the Waves of the Sea" and after the singing of the usual "Many Years", "Memory Eternal" would be sung in honor of all the Chinese who died for the Orthodox faith.

Having discussed the proposal and not seeing any objection to satisfying the request of the head of the Beijing Ecclesiastical Mission, the Holy Synod, by Ukaze №2874 of 1902 has decided to give our blessing to carrying out of the proposals of Archimandrite Innocent in regard to the commemoration of the Orthodox Chinese who suffered as martyrs for the faith during the Boxer Rebellion in China in 1900, to erect in Beijing a church in honor of all Holy Martyrs of the Orthodox Church, with the crypt for burying the bones of the murdered Orthodox Chinese and to designate June 10th and 11th for their commemoration with the order of service mentioned above, with (if local circumstances permit) a procession to the sites where the Orthodox Chinese were killed, or around the church.

Head of the Beijing Ecclesiastical Mission, Bishop Innocent.

May 31, 1903.

Beijing.