The Service of the Resurrection was celebrated with millennia-long Byzantine splendor at the Holy and Great Monastery of Vatopedi, on the semi-autonomous monastic community of Mt. Athos.
The service was celebrated in the presence of Mt. Athos governor Constantinos Dimtsas.
The Holy Saturday Divine Liturgy, which began at 9 p.m. and concluded in the early morning hours of Sunday, was presided over by Abbot Archimandrite Efraim, and co-presided by members of the Athonite brotherhood. Hundreds of pilgrims from around Greece and the world were in attendance.
During an Easter Sunday reception, Dimtsas conveyed the best wishes of the Greek government to Mt. Athos’ ecclesiastical council, the Holy Monasteries and the Athonite brotherhoods, underlining the respect that the Greek state and foreign ministry hold for Mt. Athos and its role as a caretaker of sacred traditions as well as a source of spiritual renaissance amid an era of confusion and penury.
