The Return of the Holy Relics of St. Gregory the Theologian and St. John Chrysostom
In 2004, responding to the request of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, and recognizing the importance of St. John Chrysostom and St. Gregory the Theologian to Orthodox Christians around the world, Pope John Paul II agreed to return the relics of these two great Fathers of the Church and Ecumenical Teachers to their original resting place in the Ecumenical Patriarchate. This program (produced by GOTelecom and funded by the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of the Order of St. Andrew) highlights the moving Ecumenical Service at the Vatican and the Service at the Ecumenical Patriarchate while informing the viewer of the historical significance of these saints.
Historical Background
In November 2004, the sacred relics of two renowned Archbishops of Constantinople were solemnly restored to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, St. Gregory the Theologian (329–390) and St. John Chrysostom (c. 347–407). His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I presided over a service of thanksgiving for their return and reception during the Thronal Feast of St. Andrew "the first-called of the Apostles." This historic occasion was the celebration and conclusion of a series of painful as well as joyful events.
The two saints served as Archbishops of
Constantinople during the late fourth and
early fifth centuries, a creative period
for Christian theology and liturgy. St.
Gregory was regarded as the theologian par
excellence, delivering five extraordinary
Theological Orations on the Holy Trinity
and preparing the way for the triumph of
orthodoxy during the Second Ecumenical
Council (381), which completed the Symbol
of Faith, also known as the [Nicean-
Constantinopolitan] Creed. St. John is
widely recognized as the greatest of
preachers and one of the most popular of
the Greek Church Fathers in both East and
West; his remarkable sermons On the
Priesthood remain formative reading on the
ministry.
The relics of these Archbishops were formerly treasured in the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople, where they lay side-by-side from the tenth century. St. Gregory was originally buried in Cappadocia, where he retired around 381; his relics were transferred to Constantinople in the tenth century by the Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus VII. St. John was originally buried in Koukousos of Asia Minor, where he died while in exile; his relics were returned to Constantinople in 438 by the Emperor Theodosius II.
The relics of the two saints were taken to Rome after the Fourth Crusade in 1204, which left a deep and lasting wound in the memory of the Orthodox Church. St. John Chrysostom's relics were placed in the medieval Church of St. Peter's at the Vatican, while St. Gregory the Theologian's were kept in the convent of St. Maria in Campo Santo.
In 1580, with the construction of St. Peter's new basilica in the sixteenth century, Pope Gregory XIII transferred the relics of St. Gregory to a side altar, which came to be known as the Capella Gregoriana, in the nave of St. Peter's. In 1626, the relics of St. John were transferred to another altar in the nave, known as the Choir Chapel.11
The relics of the two Patriarchs of Constantinople remained in Rome for 800 years and in the new basilica of St. Peter's for 400 years.
Recent Events
In the early 1960s, in an act of
fraternal fellowship, Pope Paul VI
returned the sacred relics of certain
saints belonging to the Orthodox Church,
including those of St. Andrew (formerly
preserved in the Amalfi, Italy) to Patras
and St. Mark (formerly preserved in
Venice, Italy) to the Coptic Church. The
mid- 1960s and 1970s also witnessed the
extraordinary vision of Ecumenical
Patriarch Athenagoras, who embarked on a
"dialogue of love" with the Roman Catholic
Church. In 1980, the "dialogue of truth"
marked the commencement of the theological
discussions between the two Churches.
In June 2004, the Ecumenical Patriarch attended the Patronal Feast of the Roman Catholic Church (June 29). While the invitation is extended each year and the Ecumenical Patriarch is represented annually, that year also marked the 40th anniversary since the inception of the "dialogue of love" established in Jerusalem in 1964 as well as the 800th anniversary since the Fourth Crusade. On this occasion, Pope John Paul II officially apologized for the tragic events of the Fourth Crusade.
In response, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I observed that no material compensation was at that time appropriate, but the rightful return of the sacred relics of the two Archbishops of Constantinople would comprise a spiritual restoration of that Church's legacy. The return of their relics would be a tangible gesture of the acknowledgement of past errors, a moral restoration of the spiritual legacy of the East, and a significant step in the process of reconciliation.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I
personally accompanied the relics of the
great Hierarchs to Constantinople on 27
November 2004, following an official
service and ceremonial procession at St.
Peter's in Rome. In the Cathedral of St.
George, the crystal cases containing the
relics were placed on the solea,
immediately before the Patriarchal Throne.
In accordance with ancient practice and
protocol, during a service of Thanksgiving
in the presence of representatives from
all Orthodox Churches as well as a formal
delegation from the Vatican led by
Cardinal Walter Kasper, the Ecumenical
Patriarch symbolically deferred to the
Saints by offering the Throne in honor of
their preeminence, while he sat in the
parathronion or side-throne.
The return of relics is more than a purely historical event of theological importance; traditionally, it is a liturgical feast of spiritual significance. The new Feast of the Translation of the Relics of St. Gregory the Theologian and St. John Chrysostom, to be commemorated henceforth on November 30th as the official date of their reinstallation, will coincide with the Thronal Feast of the Church of Constantinople, namely the Feast of St. Andrew "the first-called of the Apostles."
What had begun in June of 2004, with the formal request of the relics during the Patronal Feast and inside the Basilica of St. Peter, concluded in November of 2004, with the solemn return of the relics during the Thronal Feast of the Mother Church of Constantinople, whose patron Saint is Andrew, the brother of St. Peter.
This, too, was a further sign of the significant step toward reconciliation that occurred through the return of the sacred relics. The event has been memorialized in the new hymns composed by Metropolitan Evangelos of Perge. The relics are now treasured in the Patriarchal Cathedral of St. George in the Phanar, located at the mid-point of the north wall of the nave.
Hymns for the Translation of the Relics
Behold, the mystic of God and preacher of dogmas, Gregory the mind and glory of theology, comes to comfort us with his Relics; for he was our fellow-citizen from the ages and spoke before this very throne, as a divine treasure.
The Church once more rejoices splendidly on the arrival of your sacred Relic to the City, which you worthily shepherded; and she glorifies the heavenly Giver, O Father John Chrysostom, crying aloud: Behold your throne, O holy one.
