Tag Archives: Pilgrimage to Constantinople

A Day to the Prince Islands (I)

IMG-1064

p41

p42p43p44

Morning transfer to the pier for a private ferry ride to the island of Halki, home of the renowned Halki Patriarchal School of Theology. Halki is one of the Prince Islands which owe their name to the fact that during the Byzantine period the imperial family and disgraced aristocrats were exiled in the monasteries on the islands.

Ιsland of Halki

p11p9

Halki Patriarchal School of Theology

p12p13

Eis Tin Polin (1) 

p14p15

p17p18p19p23p24

St Photios the Great is believed to have founded the monastery in Halki in the late 19th century. In 1844, Patriarch Germanos IV established the Theological School for the purpose of pleasing God with a dwelling for teachers, theologians and theology students. The monastery houses a very impressive and important library.

p28

A carriage (fayton) took us to the top of the hill where the Theological School is situated, since motorized vehicles are forbidden on all the islands. A magnificent view awaited us there.

p53

IMG-1083

IMG-1084

p29p30p31p34p35p37p38p39

image44

Halki Patriarchal School of Theology

image45

Η Παναγία η Παυσολύπη
The Theotokos that Puts an End to our Sorrows

IMG-1067image46

 

image40

photo30

image42image45IMG-1072image47image48

IMG-1079

photo27photo28photo29photo31

IMG-1085

Eis Tin Polin

 

polin101

Pilgrimage to Constantinople 

Mosaïques de l'entrée sud-ouest de Sainte-Sophie (Istanbul, Turquie)

The Hidden and the Forbidden City

polin100

Constantinople, the glittering jewel of Asia Minor and the gateway between two continents! It sits astride on the most historic water channel in the world, the Dardanelles. Constantinople has been host to three empires: The Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman. Invaded, besieged and conquered by countless armies, Constantinople today, remains a city of sparkling domes and minarets and beautiful palaces. Our pilgrimage brought us directly to the heart of Orthodoxy and the cradle of the Byzantine civilization. More importantly, thanks to our tour guide, we bore witness to its solemn existence, spiritual strength and religious devotion by visiting the hidden and forbidden City.

polin1

With the grace of God, a total of fifty Orthodox Christians, along with a hieromonk from the Monastery of Saint Arsenios (Vatopedi, Chalkidiki) and the little city hermit 🙂 went on a Pilgrimage to Constantinople during the Twelve Days of Christmas. It was truly a moving and inspirational trip. Below you will find a sample of pictures capturing the trip.

polin201polin202polin204polin2polin3polin5polin6polin7polin8polin9polin10

polin4

Photographs courtesy of Anastasia Avramidou, the artist of our group

The Hidden and Forbidden City to be continued …