The historic Sumela Monastery in Trabzon hosted the Divine Liturgy on August 23, commemorating the feast of the Leave-taking of the Dormition of the Theotokos. As reported by cumhuriyet.com.tr, the service was led by Metropolitan Andreas of Saranda Ekklisies.
Pilgrims arrived at the monastery early in the morning by minibus and entered with permits issued by the Trabzon Governorship.
Participation was limited to 50 attendees, while Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who has presided over the liturgy in previous years, was not present. Traditionally held on August 15, the celebration was rescheduled to August 23 this year.
