A few meters further through the bustling Veikos Avenue in Galatsi is a rare beauty of St. George, which opens only once a year, on the day of the great feast.

It is the Holy Temple of St. George, known as Omoklisia, which complements almost ten centuries of life and is at the height of the Alsus Veikos. Early on Easter Wednesday morning, hundreds of faithful began to flock to the temple to worship and to see the unique hagiographies in the temple, many of which are looted. Among them, as the Head of the Church of Agia Irini Galatsi Archimandrite P. Titos Garefalakis points out, is the depiction of the mark of the wheel in which Saint George underwent.

“We have the great blessing, within these days every year, to open the church of the saint here, in the beautiful Clear in Galatsi. And we are given the opportunity to be upgraded in history, in the grandeur of this little temple, which despite the disasters and damage has its grace, “says Titus. As he explains, the temple by royal decree in 1922 has passed under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture, as “the temple was abandoned, desert and had been targeted by various, barbarians, Agarines, Saracens. It went through many phases. And to protect it from the ignorance of people – which, as you have found – destroyed the low frescoes of the temple almost all, the monument was put under the protection of the Ministry of Culture. “

According to Fr. Tito, “the iconostasis is largely preserved, as are the faces of Christ, Prodromos, Our Lady and Saint, though they have been damaged. The temple, then, remains closed all year long. But fortunately we have the permission to perform the festival every year such a day. “

The greatest looting was caused by Greek faithful: they carried their names to have his grace.

The only creation that remains intact, he adds, “because of the height, is that of the Pantocrator in the dome. According to the great Greek painter and writer, Asia Minor Fotis Kontoglou is one of the most beautiful pantocrates in the East. He had his reasons to say that. “

Fr. Titus points out that “there is also the chapel, later in the original temple, and the narthex, which is even more modern, and they painted – but they did not avoid the disaster, either from time or mainly by humans. And I am sure that not only by Agarines or others, but mainly by Greeks. We see names everywhere, adjectives of families since 1800 who thought they would have the blessing of the saint. And now, when the temple is finally protected, it turns out that most of the damage was made not by “infidels”, as we say, but by the ignorance of ours. “

A popular saint – the respect by Muslims

Asked about the large crowd that rushes to “beautifully” every year, Fr. Titus notes that “Saint George is one of the most popular and popular saints of the Orthodox Church. Today, all over Greece – and not only, but throughout Orthodox Hellenism – we have a festival. Along with the Resurrection, along with the resurrected days we are going through, Saint George comes to add emphasis and splendor to the Easter climate. They are one of the saints’ leaders. It is also testified by the thousands of Greeks named after him, men and women. There are monasteries, chapels, central temples in villages and cities, on Mount Athos – everywhere. “

According to the boss of Saint Eirini, Saint George “is perhaps the only saint who is not only respected by the Orthodox, but also enjoys great respect for all -religious people, such as Muslims. In many parts of the East – in the Holy Land, in Syria, in Egypt (in Cairo there is a monastery of Saint) and especially on the island of Prince outside Constantinople – Thousands of Muslims climb the hill to give honor and respect. Because the saint does not discriminate. Sees the heart of man. And they also testify that they have seen miracles from the saint, “says Titus.