← News feed Church of Greece

Great Prayer Rule to the Most Holy Theotokos in the Holy Monastery of Panagia Paplinou, Ierapetratranslated

August 5, 2026 · 1 min read

The Most Reverend Metropolitan of Ierapytni and Sitia, Mr. Kyrillos, officiated during the Vespers Service and the Great Canon of Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary, blessed the bread and preached the divine word in the once-shining Holy Monastery of Panagia Paplinou of the Parish of Vainia, Ierapetra on Tuesday afternoon August 4, 2026. After the blessing of the offered breads, His Eminence Metropolitan Mr. Kyrillos spoke in a simple and direct manner to the pilgrims, who came reverently and worshiped in the historic monastery, referring to the personal contribution of the Virgin Mother of our Lord to the salvation of the world, as a vessel of election, as well as to her gifts, and above all to her excessive purity, to obedience her to the will of God and to her deep humiliation.

As the Most Holy Theotokos emphasized, she is our heavenly and spiritual Mother, the consolation in our sorrows, the plea to the bereaved, the protector of Christians, the cure for the sick, the hope of the desperate, the refuge, the willing and quick help of all of us.

Concluding, His Holiness, after emphasizing that the site of the Monastery is sanctified by the blood of the martyrs...

Source: Orthodoxia News Agency · Read the full story →

⚑ Report

💬 Comments (4) 🌐 Show original

Anca Stan

I was glad to see that Metropolitan Kyrillos spoke simply about the purity, obedience and humility of the Mother of God, just as we need in our daily lives. That place at the Panagia Paplinou Monastery is really special, especially when it ends with the commemoration of the holy martyrs. I would like to get there one day to a Great Chapel.

Margaret Evans

The bishop really hit the mark talking about the Theotokos' obedience and humility—those are the very things that get me through my own messy days in the kitchen. That old monastery in Vainia always feels different, especially when they mention the martyrs' blood that sanctified the ground. Anca, I smiled at your comment too; the ending with the saints' commemoration stays with you.

Ксения Соловьёва

Thanks for sharing. I especially liked how Bishop Kirill emphasized the obedience and humility of the Mother of God - this is what I most often have to explain to children in Sunday school. The Paplinu Monastery in Vainia is probably really special, since even after mentioning the blood of the martyrs, you want to go there and just stand.

Daniela Ciobanu

I am also glad that he spoke so simply and concretely about cleanliness, obedience and humility, that these really apply in my kitchen and in my relationship with my grandchildren. The Panagia Paplinou Monastery seems like a truly blessed place, especially with the commemoration of the martyrs at the end. Have you ever been around those parts, Anca?