The Panagia Soumela Icon, the Symbol of Hellenism in Pontus

The Panagia Soumela Icon, the Symbol of Hellenism successful Pontus. Public Domain

The beatified icon of the Panagia Soumela, located successful the homonymous Church successful Vermio successful bluish Greece, is the awesome of Hellenism successful Pontus and a poignant reminder of the Greek Genocide.

According to the contented of the Orthodox Church, the icon is simply a enactment of the Apostle and Evangelist Luke.

Etymologically, the sanction of the icon and the monastery deduce from the sanction of the mountain, which is called Mela, connected which it is built.

In Greek, “stou mela” means “at Mela,” and successful the Pontic dialect, it is pronounced “sou Mela.” Therefore, it is the Panagia astatine the Mountain called Mela.

In 386 A.D., 2 Athenian monks, Barnabas, and his acolyte, Sophronios, founded the Monastery connected Mount Mela successful Pontus successful Asia Minor, a portion located successful present-day Turkey, aft they were called by the Virgin herself to bash so.

The icon was recovered astatine the extremity of the 4th period A.D. successful a cave astatine Mt. Mela, and the monastery was built successful this precise determination for the glory of God. The icon was renamed Panagia Soumela.

According to tradition, the Holy icon of Panagia Athiniotissa, which was iconographed by Luke the Evangelist, was transferred determination by angels.

Throughout the people of history, thieves and Islamic troops person raided the Monastery due to the fact that of its wealthiness of creation objects. There are galore applicable references connected the miraculous involution of the Virgin Mary for the Monastery’s salvation, however.

In 1922, erstwhile the Greeks of Asia Minor and Pontus were driven from their ancestral lands, monks hid the icon of Panagia Soumela, painted by Luke the Evangelist; the handwritten Gospel copied connected parchment by St. Christopher; and the Holy Cross made with the wood donated by Emperor Manuel Comnenos, successful the chapel of Saint Barbara.

At the time, the beatified icon was buried for safety, and it remained buried beneath the monastery for astir 30 years.

Panagia Soumela icon returns to Greece

In 1931, Metropolitan Polycarp of Xanthe and Minister Polycarp Psomiadis asked for the involution of the Greek Prime Minister, Eleftherios Venizelos, successful bid to liberate the icon from its earthly sedate successful Asia Minor.

The petition was approved by Turkish Prime Minister Ismet Inonu aft Venizelos asked for his support to nonstop monks to the Mt. Mela monastery to retrieve the icon and the different ineffable treasures.

Father Ambrosios, who was 1 of the monks of Panagia Soumela, was chosen by Metropolitan Chrysanthos of Trabzon to undertake this peculiar journey. Father Ambrosios acceptable retired to spell to Turkey connected October 22, 1931. Turkish soldiers and Greeks collaborated intimately truthful that the priceless items would beryllium found.

Soon, the hidden icon was unearthed on with the different ineffable objects that had been buried for safety. They were each returned to Athens and fixed to the Byzantine Museum of Athens until 1951, erstwhile the Panagia Soumela Foundation was founded successful Thessaloniki by Dr. Philon Ktenides.

In 1952, the beatified icon was officially enthroned successful the Church which was built successful Her grant connected a tract amid the Macedonian mountains successful Greece successful Kastania, Vermio.

Forty-one years later, successful August 1993, the Cross and the Gospel of St. Christopher were besides donated to the Church by the Byzantine Museum of Athens.

The icon of Panagia Soumela constitutes the precise awesome of the Greeks of Pontus, who spot the representation arsenic an embodiment of the trials and sufferings of their people.

Every twelvemonth connected the 15th of August, the feast time of the Dormition of Theotokos, thousands of pilgrims from astir the satellite question to the Monastery astatine Mt. Vermio to venerate the beatified icon.