The Feast of the Consecration of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem

On Thursday, September 13/26, 2024, the Patriarchate celebrated the Feast of the Consecration of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

On this feast, the whole Church, especially that of Jerusalem, recalls that Saint Constantine the Great and Saint Helen built the complex of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre at the place Golgotha and the Holy Sepulchre of the Lord, during the years AD 326-336.

As soon as this holy work was completed, the Church was consecrated by the Archbishop of Jerusalem Makarios in the presence of Saint Helen, a large number of participating Bishops, assembled at the request of Constantine the Great and thousands of pilgrims.

On the day of the consecration, the Holy Cross of the Lord was shown to the faithful, which was lifted up so that the crowds could see it, and all chanted “Lord, have mercy”, “Lord, have mercy”, “Lord, have mercy”.

Since then, this practice prevailed to be celebrated on the following day, the 14th of September, as the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

In commemoration of this event, a Divine Liturgy was held in the Catholicon of the Church of the Resurrection, presided over by His Eminence Metropolitan Hesychios of Capitolias, concelebrated by the Holy Sepulchre Hieromonks, the Superior of the Exarchate of the Holy Sepulchre in Athens, Raphael, Klaudios, Dionysios, Amphilochios, Christodoulos, the Priests, Stephen and Nectarios, Archdeacon Mark and Hierodeacon Simeon. The chanting was delivered by the Lead Byzantine Chantor of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Mr Eustathios Tsoumanis, as the service was attended by the congregation of the Church of Jerusalem.

After the Divine Liturgy, the Episcopal Entourage went up to the Patriarchate to pay their respects to His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem and receive His blessings.

From the General Secretariat

Source: Patriarchate of Jerusalem