The Feast of the Beheading of Holy Forerunner and Baptist John at the Patriarchate
On Thursday, 29th August / 11th September 2025, the Patriarchate celebrated the Feast of the Beheading of the head of the holy and glorious prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John at the Holy Monastery bearing his name in the Old City of Jerusalem, near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
On this feast the martyrdom of Saint John the Forerunner is honoured, who was imprisoned by Herod the Tetrarch when he reproved him for his sinful life, namely for his unlawful union with Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. Salome, her daughter, was used as an instrument for the unholy beheading of the Forerunner, when, having danced at Herod’s birthday feast before him, she asked for the head of John the Baptist as a gift from Herod. Herod commanded John’s beheading, and his head was brought on a platter as a wage to those reclining at his indecent birthday banquet.
For the venerable commemoration of the Holy Forerunner, Vespers was held on the eve and the Divine Liturgy in the morning at the aforementioned Holy Monastery, presided over by His Eminence Metropolitan Benedictos of Diosaecarea, with concelebrants the Holy Sepulchre Fathers, Archimandrite Ignatius, Hegoumen of Beit Jala and of the Holy Monastery of the Shepherds, Philoumenos Hegoumen of Saint Spyridon, Claudius, Polycarpos, the Priests Nektarios and Nikolaos, the visiting Athonite Archimandrite Antipas, Archdeacon Mark, and Hierodeacon Athanasios, with the chanting of the First Cantor of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre Deacon Eustathios and Hieromonk Dositheos. The service was attended by nuns of the Patriarchate, locals, and a few pilgrims, in the presence of the Consul of the Greek General Consulate, Mr Petros Anagnostaras.
During the Divine Liturgy, His Beatitude, our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos, came to venerate, together with Holy Sepulchre Fathers.
After the Divine Liturgy, a fasting reception of refreshment was offered by the Hegoumen Archimandrite Fr Matthaios in the courtyard of the Holy Monastery for the congregation, and in the rectory for the Brotherhood.
From the Chief Secretariat
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