“May 29 is a day of remembrance and historical reference for Greek community all over the world. As Greeks, we pay tribute to the martyrdom of the legendary emperor Constantine XI Palaiologos and to the great heroic defenders of Constantinople,” said Metropolitan Gabriel of New Ionia in his message for the sad anniversary of the Fall of Constantinople.
Read the full message of Metropolitan Gabriel of Nea Ionia:
568 years have passed since the sad anniversary of the Fall of Constantinople and the heroic fall of the Byzantine Empire.
The “Eternal City,” the “Queen of Cities,” the “Constantine’s City” fell, thus marking the sad end of a glorious era in the long course of Hellenism and the beginning of a period of martyrdom for our Orthodox Nation.
For 11 centuries, Constantinople was the spiritual cradle of the Orthodox Greek community and the historical center of humankind.
In Constantinople, the Orthodox Christian faith and the ancient and immortal Greek spirit were united, thus illuminating the universe with the truth in Christ.
May 29 is a day of remembrance and historical reference for the Greek community all over the world.
As Greeks, we pay tribute to the martyrdom of the legendary emperor Constantine XI Palaiologos and to the great heroic defenders of Constantinople.
Their love for Constantinople, their sacrifice for the homeland, their devotion to the Orthodox faith, to the values and ideals of the Nation are what inspired the great heroes of 1821 in their struggle for the independence of our homeland.
This year, however, this anniversary is not another occasion for remembrance or reminder, but it stands out as the best opportunity to realize that all of us, as Greeks and members of the ecumenical society, must keep intact our historical, cultural, ethnological and social wealth that the cradle of Byzantium will always bring to the fore.