Today is Great and Holy Friday. Our Church commemorates the Holy Passion of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
An Orthros Service of Great and Holy Saturday is conducted in the evening; at the Vespers on Friday, the image of Christ is removed from the Cross and wrapped in a white cloth. Another icon, one that depicts the body of Christ removed from the Cross, appears on the Epitaphios – an icon typically consisting of a large, embroidered and richly adorned cloth, bearing an image of the dead body of Christ – which is carried and placed in the Tomb during this service.
On Great and Holy Friday, the Church commemorates the death of Christ on the Cross. This is the culmination of the observance of His Passion, by which our Lord suffered and died for our sins. This commemoration begins on Thursday evening with the Matins of Holy Friday and concludes with a Vespers on Friday afternoon – one that observes the unnailing of Christ from the Cross and the placement of His body in the tomb.