The Epitaphios Lamentation Service was held in a solemn and devout atmosphere on Great and Holy Friday, April 10, 2026, at the Patriarchal Church, presided over by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
Concelebrating were the Metropolitans Joseph of Proikonnesos, Meliton of Philadelphia, Eirenaios of Myriophyton and Peristasis, and Chrysostomos of Myra.
Among those in attendance were Consul Theofilos Georgakis, representing the Consul General of Greece in Constantinople, Archons, and many devout Christians from Constantinople and abroad.
Emotion reached its peak during the procession of the Epitaphios, both inside the Patriarchal Church, which was filled with faithful, and in its courtyard.
Earlier in the day, the Ecumenical Patriarch visited the Monastery of Balıklı, where the Patriarchal Cemetery is located, and celebrated a Trisagion service at the grave of his predecessor, the late Patriarch Demetrios, also commemorating the late Archbishop of North and South America Iakovos, who reposed in the Lord on April 10, 2005.
Photos: Nikos Papachristou
