A historic Greek Orthodox church in Constantinople reopened Sunday after years of closure, with Ecumenical Patriarch Bar...

A historic Greek Orthodox church in Constantinople reopened Sunday after years of closure, with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew performing the opening ceremony at Saint Charalampos in the Bebek district on September 27. The reopening followed sustained requests from the Greek community in the city. Patriarch Bartholomew made clear at the ceremony that the church was restored to function as an active place of worship, not simply preserved as a historical monument. The restoration went well beyond cosmetic work. According to Andres Rombopoulou, president of the Ecclesiastical Committee of the Bebek community, the project included extensive structural, architectural, and electromechanical work to preserve the church's historic character. The restoration was funded by Vyron Nikolaidis, head of PeopleCert, who was present at the ceremony alongside representatives of the local Greek community and church leadership. Metropolitan Athenagoras of Kydoniai, the senior bishop of the Bosphorus region, also attended. Nikolaidis noted that the project was part of more than 40 initiatives PeopleCert has carried out for the Greek community in Constantinople and Athens. Patriarch Bartholomew also unveiled a commemorative plaque installed in the church marking the restoration and acknowledging Nikolaidis's donation. The Bebek church reopening is part of a broader PeopleCert program focused on the church and education for Constantinople's Greek community. More than 100 children in Constantinople and Imbros have completed over 600 hours of English language classes through the program, and beginning this school year, free Greek language instruction is being added as well. #Constantinople #EcumenicalPatriarchate #GreekOrthodox