PRESS RELEASE

Between 22-25 August, delegation of the European Centre for Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Monuments, consisting of the President of the Administrative Board, Ms. Natalia Poulou, Professor of Byzantine Archaeology at the Department of History and Archaeology of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the members of the Board, Mr. Georgios Panetsos, Professor of Architecture and Urban Design, Department of Architecture, University of Patras, and Ms. Maria Leontsini, Senior Researcher, Section of Byzantine Research, Institute of Historical Research, National Hellenic Research Foundation (IHR/NHRF), as well as, the Director, Dr. Flora Karagianni, visited Imbros. As part of the visit, the President and the members of the Administrative Board were guided by the Director to the conservation projects that were implemented by our Centre during the four-year period 2020-2024. In particular, the delegation visited the churches of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Panagia (Metropolitan Church) and Glyky, where the conservation works of the wooden iconostasis, the pulpit, the bishop’s throne and the icons were completed, and had the opportunity to see the conserved 42 portable icons from the church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary of Tenedos. All of them noted the high quality of the conservation work and expressed their satisfaction with the excellent result.
In addition, during the stay of the delegation on the island, the President, the members and the Director held a meeting with the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and the Metropolitan of Imbros and Tenedos, Cyril. During their meeting they had the opportunity to express their pleasure for the undertaking and implementation of the above projects and to thank the Metropolitan concerned for his cooperation and hospitality. For his part, both His Holiness and the Metropolitan expressed their appreciation to the President, the members, the Director and their collaborators for the assistance of the EKBMM in the effort to rescue and protect the relics of Imbros and the Ecumenical Patriarchate in general. In particular, the Patriarch referred to all the work carried out by the EKBMM in Constantinople, Halki and Imbros, and warmly thanked the President and the Minister of Culture, Mrs. Lina Mendoni, for the financial support of the project.
The President and the members promised the Patriarch that the EKBMM will continue to support the efforts of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for the conservation of its relics in both Constantinople and Imbros.

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