23 May,Michael the Confessor, Bishop of Synadon,Asia Minor - Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America - Orthodox Church

Michael the Confessor, Bishop of Synadon - Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America - Orthodox Church

Πατριαρχική Θεία Λειτουργία στον Άγιο Χαράλαμπο του Τσεσμέ 2020 - Patriarchal Divine Liturgy of St.Charalambos - 9 February 2020 - Cesme,Turkey (Tseme,Asia Minor)

Old Greek Church in Asia Minor to Hold Service

On 9 February 2020,the eighteenth century basilica-style Cathedral of St.Charalambos will celebrate the eve of its patronal feast day with His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew presiding.Located in the city of Cesme,Turkey,which was once known as Tseme,Asia Minor,in the Holy Metropolis of Krini,the cathedral had been blown up by the Turkish army in 1821,but was restored and reopened in 2016.Patriarch Bartholomew has previously served two Divine Liturgies there.*
Cesme,which is visible from the Greek island of Chios,was once home to as many as 10,000 Greeks,and their descendants still regard it with affection.Many of them,including several from Chios,attended the previous services in their ancestral hometown.The most ancient name of the city was Erythres.*
The Metropolis of Krini was home to about 60,000 Orthodox Christians.Besides St.Charalambos,there were four other Greek churches in Tseme and 34 rustic chapels in its outskirts.*
The Turkish community of Cesme also holds its own cultural events in the restored cathedral.*

Ecumenical Patriarch to Celebrate Divine Liturgy in Ancient Monastery of Asia Minor - revised and updated

On 23 August 2019,His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew will celebrate the Divine Liturgy of the Apodosis (leave-taking) of the Dormition of Our Most Holy Lady the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary in the ruins of the ancient Monastery of the Panagia Faneromeni in Kyzikos,Artaki,Turkey.The Dormition was the patronal feast of the Monastery.Today the Marian icon Panagia Faneromeni is kept at the Patriarchal Church of St.George in Constantinople.*
Accompanying Patriarch Bartholomew are His Grace Bishop Kyrillos of Erythres;His Grace Bishop Amvrosios of Evdokia;and several other clerics of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.It will be the fifth Divine Liturgy His All-Holiness has celebrated in the sacred remains of the Monastery Panagia Faneromeni.
Also attending will be the Mayor of Artaki,the Honourable Mr.Huseyin Sari.*
Kyzikos was an historic Hellenic town in Anatolia,Asia Minor,located in what is today Balikesir Province,Turkey.Mr.Petros Podaras and Mr.Ioannis Rizos are leading an effort to have Kyzikos maintained and promoted by the competent Turkish authorities,as they have done for other Orthodox sites in Asia Minor.
Update:The Divine Liturgy was successfully held for the fifth time at the Monastery of Panagia Faneromeni in Kyzikos,Artaki,Turkey.Several dozen pilgrims attended the service as the sun shone upon the stone walls and woodland of the Monastery.After the Liturgy,the Daphnes female choir performed a concert.

Greek Orthodox in Turkey:Asia Minor Revival Continues

On 19 January 2019,His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople celebrated the Patriarchal Divine Liturgy,Blessing of the Waters and Diving for the Cross on Old Calendar Epiphany at Triglia (Tirilye,Turkey) in Proussos (Bursa Province),Asia Minor.It was the first ever Patriarchal service in Triglia and the first Diving for the Cross held there since 1922.The liturgy was held in the restored Church of St.Basil,part of the community centre in Triglia.
Concelebrating the historic day were His Eminence Metropolitan Elpidoforos of Bursa and His Grace Bishop Adrianos of Alikarnassos,Crete.*
In addition to the hierarchs,several diplomats from Greece,Ukraine and Bulgaria attended the services,as well as archons,clerics and monks from the Great Church of Christ in Constantinople;representatives of the Municipality of Rufina (Attica,Greece);presidents and members of the Triglia heritage associations;plus Orthodox Christians from Istanbul and elsewhere in Bursa.
The Prefecture of Bursa granted a permit for the observances.Mayor Hayri Turkyilmaz of Mudanya and other local officials attended the Diving for the Cross.A local marching band processed to the Triglia town square for the Blessing of the Waters/Diving for the Cross at the Sea of Marmara.Young people from the greater Triglia area and Ukraine dove for the cross.*
Metropolitan Elpidoforos pointed out that:
In this action and in this spirit of the Patriarch,we owe,among other things,the climate of confidence that has been established so that it is possible to revive,step by step,the sacred Metropolises that had been deserted after the population exchanges of 1923.*
The Orthodox Church of Crete is part of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Patriarch Bartholomew Departs for Asia Minor Service

His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has departed from Imbros,Turkey (Gokceada) for the Cyzicos,Asia Minor area of Turkey,where he will celebrate the Divine Liturgy of the Leave-taking of the Dormition of the Theotokos on 23 August 2018.The service will be held in the ruins of the historic nineteenth century Holy Monastery of the Panagia Faneromeni icon,14 kilometers NE of Artaki (Erdek,Turkey).The icon is traditionally held to have been painted by the Apostle and Evangelist Luke.*
Artaki itself is 10 kilometers NW of the ancient city of Cyzicos,which was destroyed by an earthquake in 1063.At that time,Artaki became the see of the Diocese of Cyzicos.The Bishop of Cyzicos had the title "Supreme Exarch of All the Hellespont" and the diocese was fifth in rank of the dioceses of the Ecumenical Throne.In 1905,it was elevated to fourth in rank.*
This will be the fourth time the Turkish authorities have permitted the Divine Liturgy to be celebrated at Panagia Faneromeni.Concelebrating with Patriarch Bartholomew will be His Eminence Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Chalkida,Greece and His Eminence Metropolitan Meletios of Kathagenis (Patriarchate of Alexandria).