Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomeos presided over the ceremony for the removal of the traditional Holy Cross from the sea, held on the coast of Triliye in Mudanya district of Bursa.
On the Day of the Birth and Baptism of Jesus Christ, held every year on January 19 in Trilye, the ceremony of taking the Holy Cross from the sea, representing the baptism, was held under the presidency of Patriarch Bartholomew. On the Day of the Birth and Baptism of Jesus Christ, the ceremony of removing the Holy Cross from the sea, representing the baptism, was held under the presidency of Patriarch Bartholomew this year.
The Birth and Baptism of Jesus Christ was celebrated with the ritual held in the historical St. Basil Church, which is used as a cultural center today. Then, the cortege consisting of clergymen and concerned people walked the streets accompanied by a band and came to the seaside.
The Holy Cross was thrown into the sea following the prayers of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. However, because the weather conditions reached -10 degrees during this year’s ceremony, His Beatitude the Patriarch tied the Holy Cross with a rope, threw it into the sea and pulled it out of the water.
