Archbishop Elpidophoros of America welcomed the esteemed Archon Dr. Stamatios V. Kartalopoulos, who presented His Eminence with his newly published two-volume work, Ancient Hellenic Cities in Asia Minor: Where the “Stones Still Speak.”
The extensive publication is the fruit of years of historical research, travel, and documentation and presents the history of more than 1,600 ancient Hellenic cities in Asia Minor, together with certain adjacent Aegean islands and Eastern Thrace. Drawing upon historical, archaeological, numismatic, epigraphic, and ecclesiastical sources, Dr. Kartalopoulos has assembled a work intended to preserve the memory of communities whose contributions to Hellenism and Christianity continue to resonate across the centuries.
The two-volume publication includes prefaces by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Archbishop Elpidophoros of America.
In his preface, His All-Holiness reflects upon the enduring bond between these historic lands and the Mother Church, writing: “Though now silent in voice, these cities remain audible in the heart of the Mother Church.”
Archbishop Elpidophoros, in his preface, describes the publication as “a truly ground-breaking history, available in English for the first time,” and emphasizes its particular significance for the descendants of the Greek Orthodox communities of Asia Minor. Archbishop Elpidophoros writes that, “Even for those without Asia Minor ancestry, this book will put into a more tangible perspective the history of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, because the founding of our Sacred Archdiocese was deeply connected to the Asia Minor Catastrophe…I am grateful for and commend wholeheartedly this tremendous effort of Professor Kartalopoulos.”
The production of the two-volume publication was made possible through the generous contributions of Leadership 100 and the ever-memorable Archon Michael S. and Kay Johnson and their family of Denver, Colorado. Dr. Kartalopoulos has generously donated all rights to the work to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
The presentation of the completed volumes marked the culmination of a significant undertaking dedicated to ensuring that the history, faith, and cultural memory embodied in the ancient Hellenic cities of Asia Minor continue to speak to generations to come.
