Transfer of the Sacred Relics of St. George of Neapolis and Opening of the Doors of the new Church at the “Ionian Centre” (LIVE)

The transfer of the sacred relics of Saint George of Neapolis, the glorious and holy hieromartyr, to the new church built in his honour on the grounds of the “Ionian Centre” in Nea Ionia marks an especially significant and historic moment for the Holy Metropolis of Nea Ionia, Philadelphia, Heraklion and Chalkidona.

Today, Monday, 2 November 2026, on the eve of the Saint’s feast day, the official transfer of his sacred relics is taking place from the Church of Saint Eustathius the Great Martyr in Perissos, where they have been kept for decades, to the newly built Church of Saint George of Neapolis, located within the “Ionian Centre” (141 Herakliou Avenue).

Immediately following the transfer, the Service of the Opening of the Church Doors (Thyranoixia) will take place, followed by the Solemn Festal Hierarchical Vespers, as part of the liturgical celebrations in honour of the Saint, who holds a distinctive place in the ecclesiastical and refugee heritage of Nea Ionia.

Saint George of Neapolis, a priest originally from Neapolis in Asia Minor, is inextricably linked to the historical memory of the Asia Minor refugees. The refugees’ ancestors brought his sacred relics from Asia…