The 8th rite has been completed in the Sümela Monastery in Trabzon’s Maçka district, on the outskirts of Karadağ overlooking Altındere Valley. In the Sumela Monastery, one of the important faith centers in Turkey, the feast of the Virgin Mary, which is the “Ascension Day of the Virgin Mary”, was held under the direction of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
Prayers were said and hymns were sung during the ritual, which lasted about 2 hours. It was seen that some participants had emotional moments during the ceremony where the visitors prayed by lighting candles.
It was observed that the gendarmerie and police teams took security measures at the Sümela Monastery and ruins, as well as the Maçka district center, due to the ritual. During the ritual, health officials were kept ready in the monastery to avoid any untoward incident.
Trabzonspor’s Greek football player Anastasios Bakasetas also attended the ceremony.
‘Sumela Monastery is not just a historical and touristic place to visit’
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, in his speech at the end of the service, said that they were grateful for meeting again in the Sumela Monastery.
Stating that the Sumela Monastery is not just a historical and touristic place of visit, Patriarch Bartholomew said, ”We offered our prayers and supplications at our Virgin Mary’s house in Maçka. We cried out to her to save our country, our region and our communities from all kinds of dangers, and we wished for the healing of those who were damaged by the pandemic, floods and fires.”
Patriarch Bartholomew conveyed his wishes for healing to those who were harmed in the disasters and said, “The Sumela Virgin Mary Monastery, which has stood upright on this steep cliff for centuries, is not only a historical and touristic place of visit, but also an important holy place that unites us all.”
Patriarch Bartholomew underlined that August 15 is commemorated and celebrated all over the world as the day of the Virgin Mary’s ascension to the sky and her passing to heaven, and continued as follows:
“This is why we look forward to coming to Sümela every year on August 15th, to hold mass and pray. While expressing our thanks again to our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who provided this opportunity for the first time in 2010, after a 90-year break, we identified some unknown parts of this historical monastery that have been subjected to serious restoration over the last 6 years, guaranteeing its existence for many more centuries. On behalf of the Orthodox world and our patriarchate, we would like to express our gratitude to the officials of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the relevant directorates, and the expert scientists and masters who worked intensively, summer and winter, restoring the frescoes, fixing the large rocks that are at risk of slipping, and working hard, summer and winter.”
Stating that they came to wish mercy to the souls of those who worked for centuries in the establishment and preservation of the monastery, Patriarch Bartholomeos said:
“We have come to ask for mercy so that the pain and losses resulted from environmental disasters, floods, fires and pandemics we face this year will not be experienced again. We have come to pray for the establishment of peace and tranquility, love and abundance among communities. We hope that all our prayers will be accepted, and with the blessings and grace of our Virgin Mary, may Almighty God grant us to meet here again next year with greater solidarity and enthusiasm.” (euronews, duvar)
