Browsing: Sts Constantine & Helen Church

Source: The Pappas Post BY GREGORY PAPPAS The St. Constantine Greek Orthodox Church in the western Turkish province of İzmir has reopened following renovations. A Divine Liturgy for first time in 93 years took place on May 11, 2015, with the participation of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. Bartholomew and Menemen Mayor Tahir Şahin reopened the church with a ceremony where they threw white doves and planted an olive tree in the garden as symbols of peace. Bartholomew, who performed the first liturgy in the historic church since the Turkish army stormed and burned the city in 1922, thanked the municipality…