Holy Molyvdoskepasto Monastery: With particular brilliance and an intense pilgrimage character, the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos was celebrated this year at the Holy, Patriarchal, and Stavropigial Monastery of the Dormition of the Theotokos of Molyvdoskepasto.
Edited by: Giannis Papanikolaou
Throughout the days of the feast, a multitude of faithful flocked to the Monastery to venerate the miraculous icon of Panagia Pogoniani-tissa and to participate in the sacred services of August 15th.
Metropolitan Alexios, representative of the Ecumenical Patriarch
On the evening of Friday, August 14, 2026, a festive all-night Vigil was held for the feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos.
The Vigil was led by His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios of Dryinoupolis, Pogoniani, and Konitsa, who attended as a representative of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
The Eminence, addressing the faithful, focused particularly on the history of the Monastery, noting that it is a place that carries the memory and the prayers of many generations.
At the same time, he emphasized that August 15th should not be limited only to the external dimension of the feast, but should serve as an occasion for substantial spiritual preparation through fasting, prayer, repentance, and participation in the Holy Eucharist.
The Panagia always leads to Christ
Metropolitan Alexios made a special reference to the connection between the feast of the Transfiguration of the Savior and the Dormition of the Theotokos.
As he emphasized, the veneration of the Panagia within the Orthodox Church is not independent of Christ, but always leads to His Son.
The Transfiguration and the Dormition, he noted, constitute two great peaks of August, which reveal the power of divine love and the possibility of the spiritual transformation of man.
The Eminence also spoke on the power of faith against the trials of life, pointing out that modern man is in need of hope and a more substantial relationship with ecclesiastical life.
Athonite Fathers chanted during the Vigil
During the all-night Vigil, a choir of Athonite Fathers chanted, performing the hymns according to the Athonite Byzantine musical tradition and enhancing the contemplative atmosphere of the feast.
At the end of the Divine Liturgy, Metropolitan Alexios conveyed to the Abbot of the Monastery, Elder Arsenios, the brotherhood, and the pilgrims, the wishes and the blessing of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and Patriarch Bartholomew.
On the morning of Saturday, August 15, a second Divine Liturgy was celebrated for the namesake day of the feast.
Memorial service for Elder Theodore
The devotional events continued on Sunday, August 16, with a festive Divine Liturgy.
After its conclusion, the Founder's Memorial Service was held, as well as a Memorial Service for the blessed Elder and Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Molyvdoskepasto, Archimandrite Theodore Diamantis.
This year marked seven years since his repose on August 16, 2019, with the brotherhood and the faithful honoring his memory and his contribution to the Monastery.
The feast concluded in an atmosphere of reverence, with Molyvdoskepasto Monastery once again becoming a point of reference for hundreds of faithful who arrived to honor the Panagia on August 15th.