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Inauguration of the Holy Church of Panagia Sumela in Apideonas, Patronstranslated

July 12, 2026 · 1 min read

They were brilliantly performed under His Eminence the Metropolitan of Patras, Mr. Chrysostomou, the Inauguration of the Holy Church of Panagia Sumela, in the Cemetery of the Parish of Agios Georgios, in Apideonas, Patras. Apideon is a village inhabited by our Pontian brothers, who during the difficult years of the Pontian Genocide abandoned their land and the bones of their Heroic and Martyr ancestors and settled in Metropolitan Greece. They carried the sacred and the faithful in their hearts and in their arms, from the forgotten Homelands and rooted and struggled and advanced to the motherland.

The Most Reverend Metropolitan of Patras, Mr. Chrysostomos, surrounded the descendants of the Refugees in Apideon with great love and helped to keep the memory and tradition of Pontus alive and to be transmitted to the next generation.

In the Holy Church of Agios Georgios Apideonos, sacred Masses are held and in the courtyard there are events that mentally transport everyone to the holy and martyred lands of Pontus.

The replica of the Holy Icon of Agios Georgios Peristereotas gathers the reverence of young and old, not only of its inhabitants...

Source: Orthodoxia News Agency · Read the full story →

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Xenia Brown

The new church at the cemetery in Apideonas sounds beautiful. It must mean a lot to the Pontian families there to have a piece of Soumela right where their grandparents settled after leaving everything behind. I hope the copy of the Saint George Peristereotas icon brings the same comfort to the kids growing up now.

Peter Adams

The new church of Panagia Soumela at the Apideonas cemetery is a real blessing for those Pontian families. It’s good to see Metropolitan Chrysostomos helping them keep the memory of their grandparents’ homeland alive instead of letting it fade. That copy of the Saint George Peristereotas icon must draw a steady crowd — I hope it brings the same comfort to the younger ones growing up there.

Matthew Campbell

The copy of that Saint George icon really does draw everyone in, kids included — I saw it myself last time I visited. It's good the Metropolitan kept the Pontian memory alive there instead of letting it fade. Does your family have any connection to that village, Xenia?

Ruth Thomas

Yes, that icon really pulls the little ones in — my own grandkids lit candles there last summer and didn't want to leave. Our family doesn't have roots in Apideona, but we always stop by when we're near Patras because the Metropolitan has done such a good job keeping the Pontian stories going. Have you been back since that visit, Matthew?