THE FEAST OF THE VENERATION OF THE SACRED CHAIN OF APOSTLE PETER AT THE PATRIARCHATE

On Tuesday, January 29, 2019 16/29, 2019, the Patriarchate celebrated the feast of the veneration of the sacred chain of Apostle Peter, at the chapel dedicated to him, which is located inside the Holy Monastery of St. Nicodemus with the nickname “of the Lentil” due to the fact that during the Byzantine years when there was famine and starvation there used to be a common meal offering there with lentil soup. The place is located in a short distance on the east side of the Monastery of Preatorion/Prison of Christ.

During this feast the Church commemorates the imprisonment of Apostle Peter by Herod Antipas and the miraculous release of the Apostle by a holy angel of God, as we read in the narrative of the book of Acts (Acts 12:1-19), and we venerate the chain by which the Apostle was bound in order to receive his intercession and help.

For this feast Vespers was held in the evening and the Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the morning of the feast, led by the Most Reverend Archbishop Theophanes of Gerassa, with co-celebrants the Archimandrites Ignatios and Meletios and the Priests George and Nectarios and Hierodeacon Sophrony. The chanting was delivered by the Choir Leader of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre Mr. Constantinos Spyropoulos, monk Raphael and nun Danielia, with the participation of a noble congregation.

During the Divine Liturgy H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos visited the Holy Monastery for veneration.

After the Divine Liturgy the Hegoumen of the Monastery Archimandrite Makarios offered a reception to the Episcopal entourage and the congregation at the hegoumeneion.

From Secretariat-General