A large crowd had gathered on Tuesday afternoon to welcome His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch at the Church of the Pantokrator in the central market of Lefkada.
The bells of the Church of the Pantokrator, in Lefkada, rang merrily. The people on Tuesday afternoon had filled the central market around the church, where the His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and honorary citizen of Lefkada arrived at the appointed time.
The Patriarch visited the site to venerate the tomb of our great poet Aristotelis Valaoritis, exactly 200 years after his birth. The time had come for him to kneel, with the modesty that distinguishes him, at the grave of our great poet, where he conducted a memorial service for the repose of his soul.
According to local media, it is the first time that a Patriarch has been present at the beautiful Pantokrator Church, admiring the unique frescoes of the church and being informed about its long history.
Philologist Chara Typaldou recited texts by Valaoritis and then Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew approached the grave of Aristotle Valaoritis and humbly knelt to pay tribute. Immediately afterwards His All-Holiness wanted to greet every small child who approached him, shortly before he visited the Angelos Sikelianos Museum and was welcomed by the Agiomavritiki music group, with the song they wrote for his presence in Lefkada.
