ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE

Exarchate of Parishes of Russian
Tradition in Western Europe

PILGRIMAGE TO CONSTANTINOPLE

11th to 20th SEPTEMBER 2007

Sixteen pilgrims, led by Bishop Basil of Amphipolis, visited Constantinople (Istanbul) for eight days, to visit the places of Christian pilgrimage in and near the City which for centuries had been the Imperial Capital and which even now remains the centre of the Orthodox world.

On the Sunday, 16th September, we were present at the Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Cathedral of St George in the Phanar.  As it was the Feast of St Euphemia, her holy relics were exposed for veneration in the church. 

Following the Liturgy, along with Bishop Basil we were most graciously received in his residence by His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew, accompanied by His Eminence Metropolitan John of Pergamon. 

His All-Holiness warmly welcomed the decision of Bishop Basil to seek reception into the Hierarchy of the Ecumenical Throne, and Metropolitan John emphasised the importance of the steps which had been taken, in that they stood firmly against a nationalistic interpretation of Orthodoxy which distorted the nature and mission of the Church.   Bishop Basil, presenting our gifts to the Patriarch, said that the pilgrims came from many different cultures and languages in Western Europe – British, Dutch, French and others – and this was exactly what the Church should be, transcending these divisions.

The following day we travelled to Nicaea, now called Iznik, the site of the First and Seventh Ecumenical Councils.

This was a truly remarkable place, a city still the same size as it was in Roman times, with three of the four Roman gates still there, significant portions of the city walls, as well as a ruined amphitheatre - we could still see the opening from which the beasts emerged.  In the very centre of the city, which retains the Roman grid pattern of streets, is the Church of Agia Sophia where the Seventh Council was held.  Of course it is now a ruin, there being no local Christian presence, but it is well kept, with an attractive public garden adjacent.  It is still possible to make out some surviving frescos.

The sessions of the First Council which condemned the Arian heresy and promulgated the original version of the Symbol of Faith, are said to have taken place in what is called the Senatus House.  This has been lost, as an earthquake later in the fourth century destroyed it, and the site disappeared beneath the shore of the lake.  But Agia Sophia was always the main church, and we can surmise that the decrees of the First Council were read out there, and it was truly moving to stand in that holy place and quietly recite the Creed in the very spot where it was first prayed.

There were many other Christian sites which we saw in the City, but in spiritual terms the most significant for me were the Convent of the Zoodochos Pighi (the Life-Giving Source) and the Church at Blachernae, built over the spring dedicated to the Most Holy Mother of God, where the hymn “To Thee our Leader in battle..” was first sung.  We ere able to collect and drink the holy water from each of these places.

When we arrived, it was the beginning of the Muslim fast of Ramadan, and we soon became aware of the way in which a large number of people were carefully observing it.  At sunset, after a short prayer broadcast by the muezzins from the minarets, people gathered in parks to have a feast in the open air, having eaten or drunk nothing since sunrise. 

We were staying near the Blue Mosque, and in the park in front of it there was a fair every night, the many stalls selling all sorts of delicacies to make the fast joyful for those observing it.

We are all deeply grateful to Bishop Basil for bring us on this Pilgrimage, to Ruth Nares for organising it, to Orhan our guide, and to Adnam and his wonderfully efficient and patient staff at the Hotel Poem for looking after us.

SERAPHIM ALTON HONEYWELL

Further impressions by Jill Crow / Ruth Nares