Hundreds of believers, mostly of Pontic origin, climbed the slopes of Vermio to attend the celebration of the fifteenth of August and bow to the icon of the Virgin of Sumela in the monastery of the same name, as after two years of the pandemic this year events are proceeding normally with the recommendation for the use of a mask.

In the morning, the Divine Liturgy was served in the monastery of the Theotokos Sumela, then wreaths were laid at the bust of Alexander Ypsilantis, and the procession of the icon of the Theotokos followed.

During the Divine Liturgy, certificates of honor and a cash prize from the Panagia Sumela Association were presented to two outstanding students of Makrochori High School in memory of the 21 students who died in a traffic accident in Tempi Valley.

The events are timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the catastrophe in Asia Minor, as Giorgos Tanimanidis, president of the Panagia Sumela Association, told us.

The government was represented by Deputy Minister of Health Mina Gaga and Deputy Minister of Finance Apostolos Vesiropoulos, MPs Kostas Giulekas, Anastasios Bartzokas, Lazaros Tsavdaridis (ND), Alexandros Triantafillidis, Angelos Tolkas (SIRZA-PS), George Arvanitidis (PASOK – Movement for Change), Deputy Governor Thessaloniki Vula Patulidou as a representative of the region of Central Macedonia, mayors, representatives of the military authorities and security forces.