Historical Background
In November 2004, the sacred relics of
two renowned Archbishops of
Constantinople were solemnly restored to
the Ecumenical Patriarchate, St. Gregory
the Theologian (329–390) and St. John
Chrysostom (c. 347–407). His All
Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew I presided over a service of
thanksgiving for their return and
reception during the Thronal Feast of
St. Andrew “the first-called of the
Apostles.” This historic occasion was
the celebration and conclusion of a
series of painful as well as joyful
events.
The two
saints served as Archbishops of
Constantinople during the late fourth
and early fifth centuries, a creative
period for Christian theology and
liturgy. St. Gregory was regarded as the
theologian par excellence, delivering
five extraordinary Theological Orations
on the Holy Trinity and preparing the
way for the triumph of orthodoxy during
the Second Ecumenical Council (381),
which completed the Symbol of Faith,
also known as the [Nicean-
Constantinopolitan] Creed. St. John is
widely recognized as the greatest of
preachers and one of the most popular of
the Greek Church Fathers in both East
and West; his remarkable sermons On the
Priesthood remain formative reading on
the ministry.
The relics
of these Archbishops were formerly
treasured in the Church of the Holy
Apostles in Constantinople, where they
lay side-by-side from the tenth century.
St. Gregory was originally buried in
Cappadocia, where he retired around 381;
his relics were transferred to
Constantinople in the tenth century by
the Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus
VII. St. John was originally buried in
Koukousos of Asia Minor, where he died
while in exile; his relics were returned
to Constantinople in 438 by the Emperor
Theodosius II.
The relics
of the two saints were taken to Rome
after the Fourth Crusade in 1204, which
left a deep and lasting wound in the
memory of the Orthodox Church. St. John
Chrysostom’s relics were placed in the
medieval Church of St. Peter’s at the
Vatican, while St. Gregory the
Theologian’s were kept in the convent of
St. Maria in Campo Santo.
In 1580,
with the construction of St. Peter’s new
basilica in the sixteenth century, Pope
Gregory XIII transferred the relics of
St. Gregory to a side altar, which came
to be known as the Capella Gregoriana,
in the nave of St. Peter’s. In 1626, the
relics of St. John were transferred to
another altar in the nave, known as the
Choir Chapel.11
The relics
of the two Patriarchs of Constantinople
remained in Rome for 800 years and in
the new basilica of St. Peter’s for 400
years.
Recent Events
In the early 1960s, in an act of
fraternal fellowship, Pope Paul VI
returned the sacred relics of certain
saints belonging to the Orthodox Church,
including those of St. Andrew (formerly
preserved in the Amalfi, Italy) to
Patras and St. Mark (formerly preserved
in Venice, Italy) to the Coptic Church.
The mid- 1960s and 1970s also witnessed
the extraordinary vision of Ecumenical
Patriarch Athenagoras, who embarked on a
“dialogue of love” with the Roman
Catholic Church. In 1980, the “dialogue
of truth” marked the commencement of the
theological discussions between the two
Churches.
In June
2004, the Ecumenical Patriarch attended
the Patronal Feast of the Roman Catholic
Church (June 29). While the invitation
is extended each year and the Ecumenical
Patriarch is represented annually, that
year also marked the 40th anniversary
since the inception of the “dialogue of
love” established in Jerusalem in 1964
as well as the 800th anniversary since
the Fourth Crusade. On this occasion,
Pope John Paul II officially apologized
for the tragic events of the Fourth
Crusade.
In
response, Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew I observed that no material
compensation was at that time
appropriate, but the rightful return of
the sacred relics of the two Archbishops
of Constantinople would comprise a
spiritual restoration of that Church’s
legacy. The return of their relics would
be a tangible gesture of the
acknowledgement of past errors, a moral
restoration of the spiritual legacy of
the East, and a significant step in the
process of reconciliation.
Ecumenical
Patriarch Bartholomew I personally
accompanied the relics of the great
Hierarchs to Constantinople on 27
November 2004, following an official
service and ceremonial procession at St.
Peter’s in Rome. In the Cathedral of St.
George, the crystal cases containing the
relics were placed on the solea,
immediately before the Patriarchal
Throne. In accordance with ancient
practice and protocol, during a service
of Thanksgiving in the presence of
representatives from all Orthodox
Churches as well as a formal delegation
from the Vatican led by Cardinal Walter
Kasper, the Ecumenical Patriarch
symbolically deferred to the Saints by
offering the Throne in honor of their
preeminence, while he sat in the
parathronion or side-throne.
The return
of relics is more than a purely
historical event of theological
importance; traditionally, it is a
liturgical feast of spiritual
significance. The new Feast of the
Translation of the Relics of St. Gregory
the Theologian and St. John Chrysostom,
to be commemorated henceforth on
November 30th as the official date of
their reinstallation, will coincide with
the Thronal Feast of the Church of
Constantinople, namely the Feast of St.
Andrew “the first-called of the
Apostles.”
What had
begun in June of 2004, with the formal
request of the relics during the
Patronal Feast and inside the Basilica
of St. Peter, concluded in November of
2004, with the solemn return of the
relics during the Thronal Feast of the
Mother Church of Constantinople, whose
patron Saint is Andrew, the brother of
St. Peter.
This, too,
was a further sign of the significant
step toward reconciliation that occurred
through the return of the sacred relics.
The event has been memorialized in the
new hymns composed by Metropolitan
Evangelos of Perge. The relics are now
treasured in the Patriarchal Cathedral
of St. George in the Phanar, located at
the mid-point of the north wall of the
nave.
Hymns for
the Translation of the Relics
Behold, the mystic of God and preacher
of dogmas, Gregory the mind and glory of
theology, comes to comfort us with his
Relics; for he was our fellow-citizen
from the ages and spoke before this very
throne, as a divine treasure.
The Church
once more rejoices splendidly on the
arrival of your sacred Relic to the
City, which you worthily shepherded; and
she glorifies the heavenly Giver, O
Father John Chrysostom, crying aloud:
Behold your throne, O holy one.
THE
RETURN OF THE RELICS
