NEW LONDON, CT– The St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church in New London welcomes noted author Foti Fotiu on September 17 at to discuss his book Constantinople: the Beautiful City and the Destruction of its Greek, Armenian and Jewish Ethnic Communities.

Under the sponsorship of St. Sophia’s Ladies Philoptochos Ministry, the book signing event which begins at 11:30 AM will be followed by a buffet luncheon highlighting the cuisine of Constantinople.

A description of the book on amazon.com reads: “Constantinople was the great center of learning, culture, and religion – capital of the Byzantine Empire and the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Eastern Orthodox Christianity.

“It remained an important cosmopolitan metropolis, even after its conquest by the Ottomans, and its inclusion into the present Turkish state. The author was born in Constantinople, renamed Istanbul, and in this book he wove together the city’s wider historical and political background, and his own experiences, leading up to the Turkish pogrom of September 5-6, 1955.

“He analyzed and linked the complexities on the regional and international scale that initiated the destruction of the Greek, Armenian, and Jewish ethnic communities in the great city. He then examined the varied and conflicting responses and reactions to the pogrom, which affected and influenced the local and international sphere even unto the present day.

“The final chapters of the book deal with both his own outlook and the global state of affairs prevailing when the author revisits the land of his birth and updates the city’s and the region’s chronicles to the present.”

Tickets for the event are $15 per person. The deadline for purchasing tickets is September 11. No tickets will be sold at the door.

More information and ticket sales are available by calling the parish office at 860-442-2377 or email [email protected]. St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church is located at 200 Hempstead Street in New London