The Archbishop of Australia attends an event on the history of the Church of Saint Nicholas in Havana

On Friday, 23 January 2025, The Royal and Pontifical University of Saint Jerome of Havana hosted an informative event dedicated to the history of the Orthodox Church of Saint Nicholas, which was erected by the Cuban State in the historic centre of the capital of Cuba and was granted to the Ecumenical Patriarchate and His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew by the country’s late leader Fidel Castro.

The event, which included an extensive presentation of the construction stages and the architecture of the Church building, was attended by His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia, who is currently undertaking an official visit to Cuba, as a representative of the Mother Church and His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, at the anniversary celebrations for the twentieth anniversary of the consecration of the Church of Saint Nicholas.

The presentation was made by His Grace Bishop Athenagoras of Myrina, and the distinguished Civil Engineer, Mr. Pedro Rodriguez Sanchez, with the assistance of audiovisual material.

Among the audience who attended the informative event were His Eminence Metropolitan Iakovos of Mexico, His Grace Bishop Timotheos of Assos, and the representative of the Government of Cuba, Ms. Leira Sánchez Valdivia, to whom His Eminence Archbishop Makarios conveyed the thanks of the Great Church of Constantinople for the valuable donation of the Cuban people to the Orthodox Church in 2004, as well as for the State’s long-term subsequent support for the Orthodox flock of the country.