On the morning of Thursday, 4 May 2023, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and his venerable Entourage visited the historic Basilica of the Holy Cross (Basilica di Santa Croce) in Florence. It is the largest Franciscan church in the world which contains inside it the entire history and faith of Western civilization.
His All-Holiness was welcomed at the entrance of the Church by the Franciscan Fathers who live monastically near the Basilica in the adjacent Monastery. A guided tour followed where His All-Holiness had the opportunity to admire this masterpiece of the Western Renaissance.
Afterwards, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew visited the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Iakovos in Florence, where he was received by His Eminence Metropolitan Polykarpos of Italy and the Proistamenos and Archiepiscopal Vicar of Tuscany, Archimandrite Nikolaos Papadopoulos.
After the end of the visit, His All-Holiness and the members of his Entourage sat at the official meal in his honour, which was cordially offered by the Holy Metropolis of Italy.
Late in the afternoon The Ecumenical Patriarch left for the second stage of his pilgrimage, to Salerno in Campania.
