ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE

Exarchate of Parishes of Russian
Tradition in Western Europe

PILGRIMAGE TO CONSTANTINOPLE, 12-20 September 2007

Some further impressions from Jill Crow

The highlight of the pilgrimage was obviously being present at the Liturgy in St. George's Church in the Phanar, receiving Communion and being able to venerate the relics of St. Euphemia, whose feast day it was. Afterwards we were received by Patriarch Bartholomew, accompanied by Metropolitan John (Zizioulas) of Pergamon. Patriarch Bartholomew, speaking fluent English, welcomed Bishop Basil's decision to bring us under his omophorion, and we were heartened by both his and Metropolitan John's vision of Orthodoxy as the Church for all Christians, with a sense of mission free of ethnicity and nationalism. We were also heartened by the reverent but real warmth extended to all of us.

A visit to the monastery and renowned theological college on the island of Halki was another very special experience. The college has been mothballed for several decades, with the hope that in some form it may one day resume its activities. It is beautifully kept up, and the monk who acts as custodian showed us round with pride.  We had earlier attended the Liturgy for the Exaltation of the Cross (New Style) in St. Nicholas' church by the harbour, and then ascended the hill up to the monastery by phaeton.

Other places of pilgrimage were the working churches and shrines of Blachernae and Zoodochou Pigi, but there were also non-working churches such as  the Saviour in Chora, with many mosaics and frescoes still intact, St. Sergius and Bacchus, now a mosque but in good condition and where Liturgies are still sometimes celebrated, St. Irene, where the Second Ecumenical Council met, and of course, Haghia Sophia, once the greatest church in Christendom and a marvel of 6th century Byzantine architecture. Some of the frescoes and mosaics survive, but what also survives, despite the church's subsequent use as a mosque and now as a museum, is the sense of stillness and the presence of God.

Opposite Haghia Sophia is the Blue Mosque, another architectural wonder but built a thousand years later. We appreciated the greater understanding of Islam that our stay in Istanbul afforded us, particularly seeing the first week of Ramadan, with its total fast during the hours of daylight but an exuberant feasting and revelry after sunset, when the whole city seemed to take to the streets. Our hotel was ideally situated just behind the Blue Mosque, in a lively area with many restaurants, for which we have to thank Ruth Nares, who organised the pilgrimage.

A day trip to Nicaea took us to the site of the church where the First and Seventh Ecumenical Councils were held.  We also saw something of secular Istanbul: we rode the trams, spent our money in the Grand Bazaar, and some of us went to a Turkish Baths, where an evening of sweating in the hot room, being doused with icy water and then subjected to an extremely vigorous massage was an experience not to be missed.

It is of course sad to see so many once magnificent churches desolate and ruined, but in those still working, and especially at the Phanar, we could realise that yes, there can be loss, but God will prevail and His splendour can only be temporarily veiled, never destroyed.  This also served to remind us that in our present situation we are not alone, and are not the first to suffer in this way. The Phanar itself has moved more than once since the loss of Haghia Sophia in 1453, but we found it very much shining with the Holy Spirit; and this, together with the Patriarch's obvious delight in meeting us, gave us real strength for the future. In Bishop Basil's words, we came back energized.

Special thanks must be recorded to Ruth Nares, who did such a splendid job in organising the pilgrimage single-handed. It really was a heroic effort, much appreciated by everybody.

To purchase a full set of photographs by Jill Crow, with descriptions, click here; report by Seraphim Alton Honeywell