The Forty Holy Martyrs of Sebaste were a group of Roman soldiers who were martyred for their Christian faith in 320 AD, known for their steadfastness in the face of persecution.
RELIGION
Eastern Orthodox Religion and Christianity news.
By Greek City Times Staff A renewed wave of online discussion has emerged after many…
Israeli authorities have sealed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem following Iranian missile and drone attacks, imposing strict security measures and banning mass gatherings just weeks before Easter.
As Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew turns 86, his more than three decades on the Ecumenical Throne stand out for environmental leadership, inter-Christian reconciliation efforts, and decisive actions that have redefined the global role of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
Saint Eudokia of Heliopolis, a Samaritan woman from ancient Phoenicia (modern-day Lebanon), lived a life of extravagance and sin before a dramatic conversion led her to a life of monasticism and miraculous works. Through her unwavering faith, she performed numerous miracles, including raising the dead, and ultimately embraced martyrdom rather than renounce Christ. Her feast day is celebrated on March 1st.
The Sunday of Orthodoxy is a significant event in the Orthodox Christian liturgical calendar, marking the first Sunday of Great Lent. This day commemorates the restoration of the veneration of icons in the Church, which was a pivotal moment in the history of the Orthodox tradition. The theme of the Sunday of Orthodoxy has been the victory of the icons since 843, when the iconoclastic controversy was finally settled, and icons and their veneration were restored.
Red Star Belgrade fans stunned with a huge Orthodox Jesus mosaic tifo reading “May our faith lead us to victory” during their dramatic Europa League clash against Lille on February 26, 2026.
Sarakosti (or Megali Sarakosti) is the Greek Orthodox Great Lent, a 48-day period of fasting, prayer, and spiritual preparation for Easter (Pascha). Beginning on Clean Monday (Feb 23, 2026) and ending on Holy Saturday, it mimics Jesus’s 40-day desert fast, focusing on purification, charity, and abstinence from meat, dairy, fish, and oil.
Lent is a 40 day season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving leading up to Easter. It is one of the most important periods in the Orthodox calendar, often described as a time of preparation and an opportunity to go deeper with God. The first Saturday of Lent includes the commemoration of various saints and events, enhancing its significance within the liturgical calendar.
Outrage in Fthiotida as unknown perpetrators broke into the Church of All Saints in Gardiki and demolished the Holy Altar, allegedly searching for hidden gold sovereigns. Police are investigating the shocking act of vandalism.
Athens boasts numerous significant Byzantine churches, mostly dating from the 10th to 12th centuries, featuring distinct Middle Byzantine architecture like dome-on-square designs and intricate brickwork. Key examples in the city center include the 11th-century Panagia Kapnikarea, the Holy Apostles of Solaki in the Agora
A replica of the historic bell tower of St. George Church in Nevşehir, Cappadocia, will be constructed in Neapoli, Thessaloniki, symbolizing the enduring ties of Asia Minor refugees to their ancestral homeland.
McDonald’s Greece launches its seasonal McSarakosti menu for Great Lent, McDonald’s Greece launches its seasonal McSarakosti menu for Great Lent, featuring shrimp burgers, McWraps, veggie options, and crispy shrimp to suit Orthodox fasting traditions.featuring shrimp burgers, McWraps, veggie options, and crispy shrimp to suit Orthodox fasting traditions.
The historic Agios Nikolaos Greek Orthodox Church in Adana, built in 1845, has been repurposed as a public library after the 2023 earthquakes, drawing more than 65,000 visitors in 16 months and preserving a key piece of Hellenic heritage in Türkiye.
Police have conducted another operation against an illegal place of worship in central Athens, this…
Hagia Sophia was one of several great churches originally built by Constantine, the first Christian emperor and founder of the city of Constantinople. For almost 1,000 years Hagia Sophia remained the largest Greek Orthodox Christian church in the world.
More than three decades after it was stolen during the 1974 invasion of Cyprus, a…
Find out when Orthodox Easter 2026 falls, plus key dates for Lent, Holy Week, and how it differs from Western Easter celebrations.
Although celebrated throughout Greece, nobody celebrates ‘Clean Monday’ quite like the residents of Galaxidi who hold an annual ‘flour war’ or alevromoutzouromata (flour smudging), whereby all and sundry flock to the streets armed with sacks of ‘ammunition’ such as colourfully dyed flour, soot and confetti.
Greeks fly kites on Clean Monday (known as Kathara Deftera in Greek) as part of a cherished tradition that marks the start of Great Lent in the Orthodox Christian calendar. This public holiday follows the end of Carnival (Apokries) and signals a shift to spiritual cleansing, fasting, and preparation for Easter.
Kathara Deftera (Καθαρά Δευτέρα), also known as Clean Monday, Pure Monday, or Green Monday, is today—February 23, 2026!
It’s a major public holiday in Greece and Cyprus, marking the official start of Great Lent (Sarakosti) in the Eastern Orthodox Church. This day signals the end of the Carnival (Apokries) festivities and the beginning of a period of fasting and spiritual preparation leading up to Orthodox Easter (Pascha).
Forgiveness Sunday, occurring just before Great Lent in the Greek Orthodox Church, emphasizes themes of repentance and reconciliation. It recalls Adam and Eve’s exile from Eden and highlights the importance of seeking forgiveness from God and one another. Through the Divine Liturgy and the Vespers of Forgiveness, believers are encouraged to embark on Lent’s spiritual journey as a community unified in faith and love.
Greece’s main opposition party, SYRIZA, has sharply criticized local education authorities in central Greece after…
In his message for Holy and Great Lent 2025, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew reminds us that this is a time of “fasting and repentance, of spiritual vigilance and journey with the Lord,” culminating in “the veneration of His splendid Resurrection.” […] The faithful ‘encounter, recognize, and love one and the same Christ,’ […] our experience of faith is ‘unique’ and ‘profoundly personal’ as a freedom given to us by Christ, […] expressed as love and applied support to our concrete neighbor […] May all Orthodox Christians avail themselves of the opportunity to take hold of this glorious freedom now
Today the Greek Orthodox Church remembers the miracle of Saint Theodore the Tyro and Kolyva (boiled wheat).
Cheese lovers rejoice as Tyrini, Greece’s beloved Cheesefare Week, begins. The final week before Great Lent is filled with traditional pies, dairy dishes and rich flavors, marking a joyful farewell to indulgence before the fasting period leading to Pascha.
Today the Greek Orthodox Church commemorates Apokries, Meatfare Sunday, which is the last day of…
Discover the unique link between Saint Valentine and Mytilene, where his relics are kept in the Catholic church. Explore who the Orthodox Church honors as patrons of love instead of Valentine’s Day
Today, Greek Orthodox Christians observe Psihosavato, one of the special Saturdays set aside in the liturgical calendar to remember the dead.
By Greek City Times Staff KAZAN – A court in the Russian city of Kazan…
