BYZANTINE. Imperial Order of Saint Eugene of Trebizond. A Publication of The. North American Exarchate

Transcription

1 new BYZANTINE A Publication of The Imperial Order of Saint Eugene of Trebizond North American Exarchate

2 Imperial Order of Saint Eugene of Trebizond North American Exarchate P. O. Box 30032, San Bernardino, CA U.S.A ~567~8038 FIRST quarter 2009 I greet you in the name of the Beloved Martyred Saint Eugene. I pray that this issue of the New Byzantine finds each Knight and your families in good health and spirits. We are announcing our new website for North America in this issue. Sir Robert Cowen, Count of Kyzikos has been the shepherded of this endeavor. Each Knight owes a debt of gratitude to Sir Robert for his hard work in working on this project until completed. However, it will never be static, as we will be adding pictures and newsletters. Very seldom do I include items in this newsletter on myself. However, in the past few months I have had the great privilege of receiving many recognitions. Much of these have revolved around my Boy Scout activities. I am including in this issue some of the Certificates and Medals that have come my way these past few months. We continue our series on Ancient Orders. We are also including in this issue the series of Icons. We are now at number 6 of the 14 sent to us by the Exarchate of Greece. We received over 50 sunglasses for shipment to the Cyprus Blind School. For all of the Knights who sent sunglasses, thanks!!!! May God continue to bless each of our Knights daily. Marykatos Dr. Russell R. Fritz G.Cl.E.Tr Marquis of Marykatos Exarch for North America Order of Saint Eugene of Trebizond

3 ANNOUNCING NORTH AMERICAN WEBSITE THIS WEBSITE IS OPERATIONAL BECAUSE OF THE DEDICATED WORK OF 3 MONTHS, LONG HOURS, ENDLESS RECHECKING FACTS AND WORKING WITH THE WEBMASTER OF THE COUNT OF KYZIKOS SIR ROBERT H. COWAN G.C.E.Tr. SIGN IN TODAY AND ENJOY SIR ROBERTS HARD WORK

4

5 A Special Thank You to the Baron Dr. Tones Bridle Hadjidemetriou, The Exarch for Greece and Cyprus For Presenting This Holy Icon To The North American Exarchate

6

7

8

9

10

11

12 TREBIZOND TODAY The Hagia Sophia is a stunning Byzantine church and probably the town's most important tourist attraction. The Hagia Sophia church was built during the reign of Manuel I between 1238 and After Mohammad II conquered the city in 1461 the church was converted into a mosque. During the brief period of the city in Russia's hands during World War I, the site was used by the Russian military as a makeshift hospital and depot. Afterwards it was put back into use as a mosque, until 1964 when it was turned into a museum which it remains to this day. From the site was restored with the help of Edinburgh University and the General Directorate of Foundations. The Hagia Sophia is an important monument of the late Byzantine architecture, being characterized by a high central dome and the four large columns arches supporting the weight of the dome and ceiling. The church was built according to the plan of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople but in a smaller size. West of the church and 24 meters in distance there is a tower 40 meters in height. It was built in Many originally believed that this was the steeple of the church. But it is well known that at the time there were no bells in Trebizond. There were bells only at Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. In Trebizond they used to strike the wooden semantra to mark the most important points of the Divine Liturgy.

13 TREBIZOND TODAY Walls of Trabzon Uzun Sokak, one of the central streets of Trabzon, at dusk The Church of Saint Eugene is located south of the city of Trebizond and the Turks call it Yeni Cuma Camisi because it is in the district with the same name. The church was dedicated to Saint Eugene whom Alexius Comnenus ( ) declared holy protector, building it in the same place that he was buried after being martyred. The skull of Saint Eugene was covered with ornaments of gold and precious stones.

14 TREBIZOND TODAY The 10th century Trebizond Gospel is a testimony to the ancient artistic traditions of the city. The Trebizond Gospel, l 243 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), is a Byzantine illuminated manuscript with the text of Gospel Lectionary, dating to the 11th century. It has 15 parchment leaves (33 by 36.5 cm) from the 10th century or earlier. Written in two columns per page, 18 lines per page in uncial letters (a letter of the kind used in Greek and Latin manuscripts written between the 3rd and 9th centuries that resembles a modern capital letter but is more rounded). The book was richly decorated with gold and jewels by the Trebizond Emperor Andronicus. In 1858, the Trebizond Gospel was presented by the Orthodox Metropolitan of Trebizond to the Emperor Alexander II of Russia, who donated it to the Russian National Library, where is held to the present day (Codex Gr. 21, 21a).

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25 KNIGHT S CIRCLE OF HONOR NORTH AMERICAN EXARCHATE