Patriarchate of Alexandria commemorated Saint Cyril Lucaris

On June 27 and 28, 2026, the Patriarchate of Alexandria commemorates Saint Cyril Lucaris, Hieromartyr, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria.

Saint Cyril (1572–1638), who was born in Crete, served as Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria from 1601 to 1620. He became known for his pastoral, theological, and educational work.

He was later elected Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, where he worked to defend the Orthodox faith. After years of persecution and accusations against him, he was martyred in Constantinople on June 27, 1638.

Saint Cyril was officially canonized on October 6, 2009, following a decision of the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa, which enrolled him among the saints of the Orthodox Church as a Hieromartyr.

As part of the celebrations, a festal Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Patriarchal Monastery of Saint Sabbas in Alexandria, where a relic of Saint Cyril Lucaris is preserved.

Before the start of the Divine Liturgy, Pope and Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria and All Africa preformed the Rasophoria service for ten students of the Patriarchal School of Saint Athanasius in Alexandria. The students come from Burundi, Madagascar,…