On Sunday, November 1, 2020, the shipowner Athanasios Martinos visited the Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
Martinos and his companion, architect Gregorios Pinelis, were received by Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem and Hagiotaphite Fathers at the Catholicon of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
There, at the presence of the Consul General of Greece Evangelos Vlioras, the Patriarch informed Martinos about the Rum Orthodox rights in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, especially for the Catholicon, which is a special place for the Orthodox worship, the heart of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, opposite the Holy Tomb.
The Patriarch also mentioned the need for the renovation of the Catholicon, a very important project, which Martinos expressed the will to undertake, at the suggestion of the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
After visiting the other areas of the Church, such as the Sacristy and Golgotha, Martinos was received by Geronda Sacristan Most Reverend Archbishop Isidoros of Hierapolis in the latter’s Office, where Martinos venerated the Precious Wood of the Cross and was offered an icon of the Sacred Edicule.
From the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Martinos was escorted to the Patriarchate Headquarters through the staircase of Saint James Cathedral and the terrace of the Church of Saints Constantine and Helen.
At the Patriarchate, Patriarch Theophilos thanked Martinos for his genuine interest to support the mission of the Patriarchate and offered him an icon of the renovated Edicule of the Holy Sepulchre, while Martinos offered the Patriarch an album with the treasures of Petraki Monastery, which is an edition of his company.
Source: Patriarchate of Jerusalem