Important donations and events in the lives of the faithful from the Church of the Holy Martyr Paraskevi Pikridion Istanbul – a Brancovan foundation
The Brancovan foundation of the Holy Martyr Paraskevi in Istanbul, the former Constantinople, now houses the Romanian Orthodox Community in Turkey. This church, rebuilt by St. Prince Constantin Brancoveanu in 1692 was built on the same site where there three other churches dedicated to Saint Martyr Paraskevi Romanian were built before. In the times the Patriarch Constantius I of Sinai (1830-1834) and afterwards with the permission of the Ottoman authorities in 1833, the church was renovated and took on the appearance it has today. The church was restored thanks to the generous sponsorship of the pious founder, Panaiotis Tsakos and its dedication took place in 1998. Since 2004, the Ecumenical Patriarchate gives the church of the Holy Martyr Paraskevi Pikridion, a Brancovan foundation, in use to the Orthodox Romanians in Istanbul. “During the period between May 27 to June 2 2009, His Beatitude visited the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople- Turkey”, thus marking the extension of the contract to use the church for a period of five years. Now appears the parochial bulletin Romanian family in Turkey in June 2010. Romanian language courses also opened that summer. In 2013, the church of the Holy Martyr Paraskevi hosted the launch of two volumes of documents translated from Turkish by Professor Dr. Mihai Maxim and printed by Istros Publishing as well as the release of two volumes of poetry by Eminescu translated into Turkish. On October 19 2014 the church held a scientific symposium dedicated to the Memorial Year of the Holy Martyrs Brancoveanu, entitled Tercentenary of Brancoveanu Saints in Istanbul. The Cultural League for the Unity of Romanians from Everywhere with the Romanian Orthodox Parish in Istanbul prepared the jubilee medal Tercentenary of Brancoveanu Saints and the reverential volume Constantin Brancoveanu - 300. Administratively, since 2010, with the help of many community members, the church was embellished by buying various things and also some arrangement works were made at the Romanian cemetery from Kilyos. One of the most important sponsors of the church is the Lucescu family, who helped around since the beginning of the Romanian parish, also paying for the renovation of the priests apartment, provided by the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 2011. The contract between the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Romanian Patriarchate regarding the right to use the church of the Holy Martyr Paraskevi by the Romanian Orthodox community in Turkey was renewed in 2015.
SERGIU-MARCEL VLAD
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