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Commemoration of the return of the relics of Saint Philomenos to the place of his martyrdomtranslated

September 1, 2026 · 1 min read

Archbishop Philoumenos of Pella presided over the Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchate of Jerusalem on Sunday, August 30, 2026, to commemorate the relics of Hieromartyr Philoumenos the Hagiotaphite. Watch the video – tribute of the "Orthodoxy" Agency to Saint Philoumenos and the testimony of Archimandrite Justin, who is now Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Jacob's Well in Samaria, talking to the journalist Maria Giachnaki about the martyrdom of his predecessor and showing the reliquary with the relic of the Holy Martyr Philoumenos, which is still preserved with the skin! The announcement of the Chief Secretariat of the Patriarchate:

 On Sunday, August 17/30, 2026, the Patriarchate commemorated the return of the relics of the holy Hieromartyr Philomenos of Hagiotaphite from the place of his burial to the Cemetery of Holy Zion, to the place of his martyrdom at Jacob's Well, where he served as guardian and Abbot. This year, 2008, the Divine Liturgy was solemnly celebrated by His Eminence Archbishop Philoumenos of Pella, concelebrating the Divine Liturgy...

Source: Orthodoxia News Agency · Read the full story →

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Matthew Campbell

I remember reading about St. Philoumenos years ago and how they found his relics still with the skin on them. It’s something you don’t forget. Good to see the current abbot at Jacob’s Well keeping the memory alive and showing the reliquary like that.

Alexander Miller

The part about the skin still being on the relics really stuck with me too, Matthew. I hadn't heard that the current abbot, Archimandrite Justin, was the one who took over right after. Interesting how the 2008 transfer is still being marked with a full liturgy led by Archbishop Philoumenos himself. Makes you want to visit Jacob's Well one day.

Nicholas Turner

The detail about the skin still being on the relics always gets me too. It's wild how Archimandrite Justin went straight from being there during the martyrdom to becoming abbot at Jacob's Well and now he's the one showing the reliquary in that video. Makes the 2008 transfer feel a lot more personal.

David Scott

Yeah, that bit about the skin still being intact really stuck with me too when I first read it. The video of Fr. Justin pointing it out in the reliquary is pretty powerful. Have you ever made it out to Jacob’s Well yourself?

Xenia Brown

I remember that detail about the skin too—it’s one of those things that makes you stop and think how little we understand about the saints. Fr. Justin seems like the perfect person to be guarding that memory now. Have you read his own account of what happened at the well?

Michael Smith

I hadn't read Fr. Justin's full account yet, but that video clip where he points out the preserved skin on the relics really stayed with me too. It's a powerful reminder of what real martyrdom looks like up close. Did his written version add any details about how they moved the body back in 2008?