Steiris, Greece, May 6, 2026
Photo: Monastery of Hosios Loukas (Instagram)
The Holy Monastery of St. Luke (Hosios Loukas) in Steiris, Greece, commemorated the 1,015th anniversary of the translation of the relics of St. Luke the Younger and the consecration of its Byzantine katholikon on Saturday, May 2, and Sunday, May 3.
Large crowds of faithful attended the celebrations despite difficult weather conditions to venerate the saint’s relics.
On the evening of May 2, a Great Festal Vespers service was held in the katholikon, presided over by Archimandrite Theodosios (Damopoulos), abbot of the Holy Monastery of Makariotissa, with the participation of clergy and a large congregation, reports Romfea.
“The priests and faithful who were gathered around the holy relic of St. Luke were flanked by choirs of chanters, who united their voices in a spiritual feast to hymn the greatness of God and His ascetic, St. Luke, with a choir of monks from Makariotissa Monastery on the right and a choir led by the monastery's chanter Mr. Dimos Fytilis on the left,” the Greek outlet writes.
Photo: Romfea
Fr. Theodosios preached the sermon, speaking about the significance of saints in our lives. He emphasized that saints are our intercessors before God, our helpers who convey our prayers to God’s throne, and true models of life, like St. Luke. He also spoke about aspects of St. Luke’s life, who through his Christ-like life and Divine grace became a vessel of the Holy Spirit. He concluded by wishing that all would have St. Luke as their helper and intercessor.
The abbot of the Holy Monastery of St. Luke, Archimandrite Seraphim (Pavlidis), expressed his gratitude and blessings to the clergy and faithful.
After Vespers, a procession of the holy relic of St. Luke took place around the monastery, accompanied by numerous faithful.
On Sunday morning, a festal Divine Liturgy was celebrated, presided over by Metropolitan George of Thebes, with the participation of many faithful.
The sermon was preached by Archimandrite Silouanos (Peponakis), abbot of the Holy Monastery of St. George Mavromatiou, who spoke about the Gospel reading of the day.
Photo: Romfea
At the conclusion, Met. George gave a brief address about the translation of the saint’s relics. He emphasized that man is a unified being composed of body and soul, and that the holy relic of St. Luke, which constitutes the precious treasure of the monastery, reveals that the body struggles together with the soul in the Christ-like life and through God’s Grace becomes a temple of the Holy Spirit.
He noted that this year marks 40 years since the return of the saint’s relic from Italy to the monastery in 1986, after an absence of 526 years.
Met. George concluded by wishing the Abbot and brotherhood of the monastery, the clergy, and the faithful many years through the intercessions of St. Luke.
Before the dismissal, the holy relic of St. Luke was transferred from the center of the katholikon, where it had been placed for the feast, back to the reliquary where it is permanently kept.
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