Thursday, July 30, 2020

The Occupied Churches of Constantinople : / كنائس القسطنطينية المحتلة: في اسطنبول العثمانية




The city of Constantinople,(Ottoman’s Turkish Istanbul), includes a series of Byzantine Orthodox Churches, this proves by the definitive evidence that Constantinople is the capital of the Orthodox Christians, which   occupied through  conquered by the so called "Muslim caliphs" the Ottomans.

Constantinople fell under the Turkish-Ottoman occupation, where 
The Muslim caliphs “Ottoman”  forcibly converted the Orthodox churches into mosques

The vast majority of these churches are located in the Fatih district, which represents the historical peninsula of Constantinople, which is the Greek territories has been occupied by the Ottoman Turks.

Among  the Byzantine Orthodox Churches in Constantinople, which turned into mosques are:

  The Church of Saints Sarkis and Bacchus is located near the Kom Kabi district, i.e. 
the neighborhood of Baba El Remal, famous for its historical wooden palaces. It was built shortly before Agia Sophia in the sixth century, and has been transformed into a mosque and hasgaven a name. "The Little Agia Sophia Mosque" that was in the beginning of the sixteenth century, during the reign of Bayezid II, the eighth sultans of the Ottomans.

Church of Christ Almighty  The church was completed during the reign of John II Comnenus, in the twelfth century. And its name has become "Zirk Mosque of Calais", meaning Zirk Church Mosque, and it is, by its magnitude, the second largest Orthodox religious edifice has been built by the Byzantines,   after Agia Sophia, and it consists of two churches and a chapel, located in Ataturk Street, in the Zirk neighborhood.


The Saint Takla Church was built in the middle of the eleventh century, and in the early sixteenth century it was converted into a mosque, (Mustafa Pasha Mosque), By Kuja Mustafa who served as the greatest chest between 1511 and 1512.

The Church of Saint Andrew the Cretan, built in the fifth century, was transformed into the Kuja Mustafa Pasha Mosque, during the reign of Kuja Mustafa, who held the position of Grand Vizier between 1511 and 1512.


The “Christ who sees everything” church, representing Byzantine architecture in the intermediate stage, while the Ottomans converted it to the Aski Mosque

The Church of St. Theodosia, which was built in the eleventh century, it was always full of roses, in order to honor the  patron saint of the Church. 
Sultan Ahmed I confiscated this church at the beginning of the seventeenth century, and turned it into the Gul Mosque, meaning the Mosque of the Roses.

Church of saint Theodorus, built in the tenth century, has been transformed into the Viva Mosque during the reign of Sultan Murad II

   Church of Emperor Romanus I. Built in the tenth century, the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid II converted this church to Bodrum Mosque.

Chora Church "Church of Christ the Savior"
Which is located in the Edirne district, in the western part of the Al-Fateh region, and was converted to a mosque in 1511 by the great minister Atiq Ali Pasha who added a school to it.  It contains an enormous collection of mosaic paintings and wall paintings, reducing the aesthetic of Byzantine art to its best.

  The seat of the Orthodox Patriarchate in the last Byzantine era, Sultan Murad III confiscated it in 1587, and made it a mosque that he called the "Al-Fatih Mosque" after their victory in Georgia and Azerbaijan.


Agia Sophia, ”meaning“ Holy Wisdom. ” built by, Emperor Constantine I, and bore this name in the year 330, and  Emperor Constantius II dedicated this church in the winter of 360. The Church of Holy Wisdom”Agia Sofia” has been described as the“ Great Church ”since that date. 
But  after Sultan "Muhammed El Fateh" has Occupied Constantinople in 1453, he "confiscated its churches, on top of them  was Agia Sophia, where he converted it into Mosque, and then he built the southern minaret.

This is in addition to the dozens of churches confiscated by the Ottomans, especially along the east and south coast.

For example churches  of St. Nicolas, Paul, Mother of God, John etc.
All turned into mosques.

Editing by Fr. Spyridon Tanous 


مدينة القسطنطينية
 إسطنبول التركية العثمانية، التي تضم سلسلة من الكنائس  الارثوذكسية البيزنطية، و التي ثتبت بالدليل  القاطع على  ان القسطنطينية  هي عاصمة المسيحيين  الارثوذكس، التي تم احتلالها  من  الخلفاء المسلمين، العثمانيين, حيث صادرها السلاطين العثمانيين..
 كانت البداية  عندما القسطنطينية  سقطت بيد الاحتلال التركي-  العثماني،
حيث قام خلفاء المسلمين، "العثمانيين"، بتحويل ، عنوة،  الكنائس الارثوذكسية إلى مساجد

تقع الغالبية العظمى من هذه الكنائس في مديرية الفاتح التي تمثل معظم شبه جزيرة القسطنطينية التاريخية، بمعنى  انها في الاراضي اليونانية التي  احتلها  الاتراك العثمانيين

 من بين الكنائس الارثوذكسية البيزنطية  في القسطنطينية التي تحوّلت إلى جوامع

  كنيسة القديسين سركيس وباخوس التي  تقع  على مقربة من حي كوم كابي، أي حي بابة الرمال الشهير بقصوره التاريخية الخشبية و قد شيُدت قبل أيا صوفيا بفترة وجيزة في القرن السادس، و قد تحولت  الى  مسجد اسمه. "جامع آيا صوفيا الصغير"، وذلك في مطلع القرن السادس عشر، في عهد بايزيد الثاني، ثامن سلاطين العثمانيين

 كنيسة المسيح الضابط الكل. بنيت  الكنيسة  في عهد يوحنا الثاني كومنينوس، في القرن الثاني عشر, و بعد  الاحتلال  اصبح اسمها "جامع زيرك كليسة"، أي جامع كنيسة زيرك، وهو ثاني أكبر صرح ديني ارثوذكسي  بناه البيزنطيون بعد أيا صوفيا، ويتكوّن من كنيستين ومصلّى، ويقع في شارع أتاتورك، في حي زيرك.


كنيسة  القديسة تقلا بنيت في منتصف القرن الحادي عشر، وفي أوائل القرن السادس عشر تمّ تحويلها إلى مسجد ، جامع مصطفى باشا،
على يد كوجا مصطفى الذي شغل منصب الصدر الأعظم بين عامي 1511 و 1512.


كنيسة  القديس اندراوس الكريتي شّيدت في القرن الخامس، تحولت الى مسجد كوجا مصطفى باشا، في  عهد  كوجا مصطفى الذي شغل منصب الصدر الأعظم بين عامي 1511 و 1512.

كنيسة "المسيح الذي يرى كل شيء"، وتمثل فن العمارة البيزنطية في المرحلة الوسيطة،  ثم حوّلها العثمانيون   الى جامع اسكي امارت،

كنيسة القديسة ثيودوسيا التي شيّدت في القرن الحادي عشر، وكانت ممتلئة دوماً بالورود، وذلك لإكرام القديسة التي حملت اسمها. صادر السلطان أحمد الأول هذه الكنيسة في مطلع القرن السابع عشر، وحولها الى  جامع جول، أي جامع الورد،


كنيسة القديس ثيودوروس، بنيت في القرن العاشر،  وقد تحوّلت إلى جامع فيفا في عهد السلطان مراد الثاني

  كنيسة  الإمبراطور رومانوس الأول. بنيت  في القرن العاشر، و قد  حوّلها السلطان العثماني  بايزيد الثاني هذه الكنيسة إلى جامع  بودروم.


كنيسة خورا " كنيسة المسيح المخلص"
التي تقع في حي أدرنة ، في الجزء الغربي من منطقة الفاتح، ، وقد حُولت إلى جامع سنة 1511 من قبل الوزير الكبير عتيق علي باشا الذي أضاف إليها مدرسة
 وتحتوي على مجموعة هائلة اللوحات الفسيفسائية والرسوم الجدارية تختزل جمالية الفن البيزنطي بأبهى صوره.


 مقرا للبطريركية الأرثوذكسية في العهد البيزنطي الأخير، وقد صادره السلطان مراد الثالث في 1587، وجعل منه مسجد أطلق عليه اسم الفتح" جامع الفاتحية" بعد انتصاره في جورجيا وأذربيجان.

أيا صوفيا"، أي "الحكمة المقدسة". شيّد الإمبراطور قسطنطين الأوّل كنيسة  أيا صوفيا في سنة 330، و الإمبراطور قنسطانطيوس الثاني  كرس الكنيسة في سنة  360. وُصفت كنيسة الحكمة المقدسة  بـ"الكنيسة الكبرى" ".
السلطان محمد  الفاتح
احتل القسطنطينية في 1453، و"صادر كنائسها، و على راسها  أيا صوفيا ، و حولها  الى مسجد   
و  بنى المأذنة الجنوبية

هذا  بالاضافة  الى  عشرات الكنائس  التي  صادرها  العثمانيين  على طول و عرض تركيا  الحالية،  و  اخص على  امتداد الساحل الشرقي  و الجنوبي
على سبيل المثال  كنائس باسم القديس  نيقولاوس، بولس،  والدة  الاله،  يوحنا  الخ
كلها تحولت  الى مساجد

Editor: Fr. Spyridon Tanous
Greek Orthodox Church Γ.Ο.Χ

Wednesday, July 15, 2020

Recep Tayyip Erdogan has broken the covenant of the Prophet of Muslims/ رجب طيب اردوغان قد نقض عهد نبي المسلمين








Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the State of Turkey, has broken the covenant of his Prophet, Muhammad, the Prophet of Muslims
The takeover of the Hagia Sophia Church, and dozens of other churches, is nothing but criticism and a violation of the Prophet of Islam and his covenant .
Here is the text of the Muhammadiyah covenant proclaimed by the hand of Muhammad bin Abdullah, the Prophet of Islam:

”This is the book of Muhammad bin Abdullah, a covenant of the Christians, that we are with them close or far away, I, the servants of God, the supporters and the followers to defend them, for the Christians are my subjects, and by God I will prevent them from everything that does not satisfy them, so there is no compulsion on them, and their judges are not removed from their positions, nor their monks from their leadership. . No one has the right to destroy their places of worship, to harm them, and not to take anything from them to Muslim homes. If someone does something else, he spoils God’s covenant and disobeys His Messenger. The truth is that they are in my oath and they have a covenant with me that they do not find what they hate. No one forces them to emigrate, and no one compels them to fight. Rather, Muslims fight for them. If a Muslim marries Christianity, that cannot be accomplished without accepting it. It does not prevent her from visiting her church to pray. Their churches must be respected, no one forbids them to reform them or harm the sanctity of their charters.
And no imams of Muslims have the right to disobey this covenant until the Day of Resurrection. ”

 ان رجب طيب اردوغان رئيس دولة  تركيا,  قد  نقض  عهد  نبيه,  محمد,  نبي المسلمين
ان  الاستيلاء  على  كنيسة أيا صوفيا,  و عشرات  الكنائس الاخرى, ما  هو  الا  نقد و  مخالفة لنبي الاسلام و عهده
و هنا  نص  العهدة المحمدية الممهورة  بيد  محمد بن عبد الله,  نبي  الاسلام:
"هذا كتاب محمد بن عبد الله، عهداً للنصارى، أننا معهم قريبون كانوا أم بعيدون أنا وعباد الله والأنصار والأتباع للدفاع عنهم، فالنصارى هم رعيتي، ووالله لأمنع عنهم كل مالا يرضيهم، فلا إكراه عليهم، ولا يُزال قضاتهم من مناصبهم، ولا رهبانهم من أديرتهم. لا يحق لأحد هدم دور عبادتهم، ولا الإضرار بها ولا أخذ شيء منه إلى بيوت المسلمين. فإذا صنع أحد غير ذلك فهو يفسد عهد الله ويعصي رسوله. وللحق أنهم في حلفي ولهم عهد عندي أن لا يجدوا ما يَكرهون. لا يجبرهم أحد على الهجرة، ولا يضطرهم أحد للقتال، بل يقاتل المسلمون عنهم. إذا نكح المسلم النصرانية فلا يتم له ذاك من غير قبول منها. ولا يمنعها من زيارة كنيستها للصلاة. كنائسهم يجب أن تُحترم، لا أحد يمنعهم من إصلاحها ولا الاساءة لقدسية مواثيقهم.

ولا يحق لأي من أئمة المسلمين معصية هذا العهد الى يوم القيامة.”






Editor: Fr.Spyridon Tanous
Greek Orthodox Church Γ.Ο.Χ

Saturday, June 13, 2020

The Appearance of the Cross Near Athens in 1925



The Appearance of the Cross Near Athens in 1925

In the early 1900's and especially in the 1920's -- as still today -- there were strong anti-Church and secularist forces in power in Greece and in the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Among the actions of these powers was the forcible introduction of the Gregorian Calendar. The Gregorian Calendar is adequate for functions of business, the stock exchange, and other worldly, secular activities. Liturgically, however, it is practically useless, and even harmful. It is no way possible to reconcile the Gregorian Calendar with the canonical Orthodox Christian Paschalion--the determination, in accordance with the decrees of the First Ecumenical Council, of the date of Pascha, the Feast of Feasts. Moreover, the introduction of a Church calendar change by a local church created an unacceptable liturgical disunity within the Church itself.
Vast numbers of the people of Greece refused to accept these anti-canonical, anti-Church modernisms which were being forced upon them by state police power. The upholders of Tradition suffered - and continue to suffer - persecution, imprisonment, and deprivation at the hands of secular police powers. But the spiritual eyes of the true Orthodox Christians saw clearly even if, at the time, they did not completely comprehend the evil of the new calendar. It was a forerunner and a sign of the greatest heresy in the history of the world - Ecumenism. Many people, however, became confused. Some began to waiver. Just as the Arians were in control of the worldly power in 351 and were able for a whole to force their heresy upon the empire, so at this time, the calendar renovations controlled the worldly power of Greece. In such a troubled and dangerous time, the All-Merciful God heeded the needs of His people.
Again, as in 351, God sent a wondrous apparition of the sign of the All-Honorable Cross to seal the truth and put the false teachers to shame. The appearance of the Precious Cross in 351, took place during the time of St. Cyril was patriarch in Jerusalem. The Cross reached from Golgotha to the Mount of Olives, and was almost two miles in length. This miraculous sign remained in the sky over the Holy City for a week.
 See "The Wondrous Apparition of the Sign of the All-Honorable Cross Over Jerusalem in 351 AD, Orthodox Life, Vol. 22, No. 2 (March-April 1972), pp. 13-17.

This appearance of the sign of the Cross took place in this manner:
In 1925, on the eve of the feast of the Exaltation of the All-Honorable and Life-giving Cross of our Savior, 14 September according to the Orthodox Church calendar, the All-night Vigil was served at the Church of St. John the Theologian in suburban Athens. By nine o'clock that evening, more that two thousand of the true-Orthodox faithful had gathered in and around the church for the service, since only a few true-Orthodox churches had been unwittingly left open by the civil authorities - most had been closed. Such a large gathering of the people could not, however, go unnoticed by the authorities. Around 11PM the authorities dispatched a battalion of police to the church "to prevent any disorders which might arise from such a large gathering." The gathering was too large for the police to take any direct action or arrest the priest at that time, so they joined the crowd of worshippers in the already overflowing courtyard of the Church.
Then, regardless of the true motives for their presence and against their own will but according to the Will, which exceeds all human power, they became participants in the miraculous experience of the crowd of believers.
At 11:30PM, there began to appear in the heavens above the church, to the northeast, a bright, radiant Cross of light. It illuminated not only the church and the faithful but, in its rays, the stars of the clear, cloudless sky paled and the churchyard was filled with an almost tangible light. The form of the Cross itself was an especially dense light which could be clearly seen as a Byzantine cross with a crossbar toward the bottom. This heavenly miracle lasted for half an hour, until midnight, and then the Cross began to rise vertically, as the cross in the hands of the priest does in the ceremony of the elevation of the Cross in church. Having come straight up, the Cross began gradually to fade away.
Human language is not adequate to convey what took place during the apparition. The entire crowd fell prostate upon the ground with tears and began to sign prayers, praising the Lord with one heart and one mouth. The police were among those who wept, suddenly discovering, in the depths of their hearts, a childlike faith. The crowd of believers and the battalion of police were transformed into one united flock of faithful. All were seized with a holy ecstasy.
The vigil continued until 4:00AM, when this human torrent steamed back into the city, carrying the news of the miracle because of which they were still trembling and weeping.
Many of the unbelievers, sophists and renovationists, realizing their sin and guilt, but unwilling to repent, tried by every means to explain away or deny this miracle. But the fact that the form of the cross had been so sharply and clearly defined as that of the Byzantine Cross, with a crossbar at the bottom for a foot-rest, completely negated any attempt to explain away as an accidental physical phenomenon.
The fact that such an apparition of the Cross had also occurred during the height of the first great heresy must strike the Orthodox with an especial sense of the magnitude of the importance of the calendar question and of all that is connected with it. No sensible person can discuss this issue lightly, with secular reasoning or with worldly arguments. Renovationists, like the Arians in 351, are left without extenuation or mitigation.
Reprinted from Orthodox Life, Vol. 22, No. 2 (March-April, 1972), pp. 18-20.

"I Too Was There" Eyewitness Accounts of the Appearance of the Cross over the Church of St. John the Theologian at Mt. Hymettus, September 14, 1925.
I was one of the men from the Police Institute who were sent to stop the vigil that night, some fifty years ago, at the country Church of St. John the Theologian.
The Old Calendarists were keeping vigil there, because it was the eve of the feast of the Exaltation of the Precious Cross (according to the Church Calendar, not the papist! -ed.)
Since many people had gathered - more than two thousand individuals - we did not attempt to seize the priest as we had been ordered, but we sat down quietly in the nearby court and waited for them to finish.
At about 11:30 at night, we heard a loud and strange uproar coming from the shouts of the multitude. Without any delay, we ran to see what was happening - and we saw. The whole multitude of the faithful was in a state of excitement. Some were weeping and others, crying out "Lord, have mercy," were kneeling and had turned their eyes toward heaven, and yet others were fainting, overwhelmed with great emotion. Then we too looked and beheld the marvel: an enormous radian Cross, very high above the church was illumining the whole area. At first, we were seized with fear, but immediately we came to ourselves and, forgetting the purpose for which we had been sent, we fell to our knees and wept like little children.
Of course, it is superfluous for me to tell you that, filled with emotion, we attended the rest of the vigil to the end - no longer as persecutors but as faithful Christians. In the morning when we returned to the Institute, we told everyone about the great marvel that we had been deemed worthy to see. Afterwards there was an investigation and all of us swore under oath that we had seen the Precious Cross clearly, high in the sky.

John D. Glymis Retired Police Officer, 78 years of age 73 Aristotle Street Peristeri ( a suburb of Athens)



On that night in 1925, when the Precious Cross appeared, I was making the last run with the tram, which I was operating. I had reached Omonoia and was going around the square when I saw everyone looking up toward heaven and crying, "Look! - the Cross! - the Cross!" Immediately I stepped on the brakes and stopped the vehicle. I stuck my head out the tram's door and I, the unworthy one, also saw the Precious Cross of Our Lord - may His Name be glorified; it was shining over Mount Hymettus. I don't remember how long this lasted. I know only one thing - the Precious Cross which I saw the night turned me into a different man. Since then, everyone in my family has become a faithful child of the Church of the True Orthodox Christians.

Athanasios Primals Retired Tram Conductor, 80 years of age 17 Kavales Street Nicea (a suburb of Athens)


Re-Edited by: Fr.Spyridon Tanous
Greek Orthodox Church Γ.Ο.Χ