BOSTON – A Polyarchieratic Divine Liturgy, attended by hierarchs from Constantinople and Greece and presided over by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, as well as a concert crowned the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Metropolis of the Princes’ Islands.

Both the Divine Liturgy and the concert were attended by hundreds of expatriates from Constantinople, nearby Chalcedon, and Greece who have ties to the Princes’ Islands and greatly appreciate their current shepherd, Metropolitan Demetrios. The Divine Liturgy was celebrated on Sunday, July 14 at the Cathedral of Saint Demetrios in Prinkipos. Local authorities were present, and Greece was represented by the Consul General in Constantinople, Ambassador Constantine Koutras. The Divine Liturgy was followed by a festive meal.

On the evening of Sunday, July 14, a concert was held in the courtyard of the Anadolu Club in Prinkipos, featuring the choir of the Holy Metropolis of Neapolis and Stavroupolis of Thessaloniki conducted by Maria Charalampidou and with soloist singer Dimitris Basis. Greeting were offered by Metropolitan Geron Demetrios and the concert was attended by hierarchs of the Phanar, local authorities, and many people from Constantinople and abroad.

After the fall of the Constantinople in 1453 the Princes’ Islands were placed under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Metropolis of Chalcedon at an unknown time and remained dependent on it until 1924. In 1924, they were detached by Patriarchal and synodal decision from the Metropolis of Chalcedon and formed a new Metropolis under the name Holy Metropolis of the Princes’ Islands, which still exists today and fortunately still has a Greek Orthodox flock. The islands under the jurisdiction of the Metropolis of the Princes’ Islands are four: Prinkipos, Halki, Antigoni, and Proti. The seat of the Metropolis is the island of Prinkipos, which is also the largest of the four islands.

The reason for the establishment of the new Metropolis in 1924, following the Asia Minor catastrophe, was the prevailing belief that more active metropolises with flocks should exist within the Turkish Republic for a variety of reasons.