Turkey is putting an end to the celebration of August 15 at Panagia Soumela in Trapezounta (Trebizond) and the “Kyra of Pontus” will not be reopened for divine service on one of the most important feasts of Orthodoxy. After the conversion of Hagia Sophia and the Chora Monastery into mosques, another monument of Orthodox Christianity is forced to bow to the nationalist dictates of Ankara. Turkey stops the Divine Liturgy at Panagia Soumela on 15 August.
According to reliable sources who spoke to Ethnos.gr, Ankara has decided, starting this year, not to grant indefinitely permission for the celebration of the divine service in the historic monastery of Panagia Soumela in Trapezounta on August 15, indicating that it will be celebrated on August 23, the 9th day of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.
Nationalism ‘closes’ Panagia Soumela
Demonstrating its willingness to impose its own way of managing history, even Christian history, Turkey is now placing serious obstacles in the way of the religious freedom of Orthodox Christians. The decision to suspend the license indefinitely came about after strong reactions from extreme nationalist circles in Turkey, who – already using the Turkish media platform since last year – recalled… that 15 August is the anniversary of the fall of Trabzon (Trapezounta) in 1461 and expressed their strong dissatisfaction with the permission given for 10 years to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to celebrate the Divine Liturgy in Soumela. This coincidence, i.e. the divine service at a religious monument of unparalleled value, which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year, according to these circles, “undermines” their own national anniversary and deprives it of the glory it deserves.
Sacrifice of worship on the altar of the Conquest
State officials, also reinforced by the report of the Turkish History Foundation (Turk Tarih Kurumu), which confirmed, upon request, the date of 15 August as the date of the Fall of Trabzon, have therefore decided this year to definitively postpone the celebration of the Divine Liturgy at Soumela to 23 August, away from the Assumption Day, which is one of the most important religious celebrations for Orthodox Christians.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople is under pressure
Ankara, according to senior sources, is therefore not going to grant permission for divine service on August 15 again, but only for August 23, which the acceptance of the Ecumenical Patriarchate is said to be the result of the need not to abandon the acquis. Panagia Soumela, which for centuries has been the symbol of the Orthodox faith for Hellenes everywhere, is now the subject of political and nationalist controversy, with Ankara imposing its own conditions on the celebration of such an important Christian feast as the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.
Ottoman parade in Trabzon
This year’s cancellation of the divine service at the historic monastery of Panagia Soumela on 15 August seems, however, to have been immediately replaced by nationalist celebrations and parades to mark the fall of Trabzon from the Ottomans. The impressive promotion and wide coverage by social networks and local news channels took on the character of a diversion, with the local authorities trying to highlight the anniversary of the Fall with a strong nationalist slant. Images of the events showed groups of people dressed in traditional Ottoman uniforms participating in processions with flags, parades, and re-enactments of the Fall of Constantinople.
