The Ecumenical Patriarch prayed in the Vlaherne Church on the 1,400th anniversary of the first chanting of the Akathist Hymntranslated

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I prayed on Friday, August 7, in the Vlaherne Church in Istanbul (Constantinople) on the 1,400th anniversary of the first chanting of the Akathist Hymn of the Mother of God.

According to tradition, the song dedicated to the Mother of God was sung for the first time in the Blacherne Church in Constantinople in 626, after the Byzantine army repulsed a siege of the city.

To mark the 1,400th anniversary of the singing of the Akathist Hymn, the Ecumenical Patriarchate decided to organize a series of religious and cultural events during the year 2026.

"Today, we came again to the historic Vlaherne, to end the festive cycle of these anniversary events, remembering one of the most important pages of the faith and history of our nation. Here, at the Mother of God in Vlaherne, the fortress of Constantine found its salvation not through the power of arms, but through the grace and protection of the Mother of God", emphasized His Holiness.

Prayer for peace The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I highlighted the connection of the historical event with the trials that humanity is going through nowadays, emphasizing the need for prayer for peace.