With solemnity we attended the Opening Ceremony of this church where today's gathering bears witness to the continuity of local history, but also to rebirth and renewal. This renovated church of the once Holy Monastery of St. Anthony of Deryneia. Today, on the eve of the day when our Church celebrates the memory of the Saint.
Here, in the beautiful town of Dheryneia, which in our time has come to be considered and is an acritical town, it can be seen throughout history that devotional piety, the deepest faith in God, has never ceased to permeate the being of the people.
Here, in the beautiful town of Dheryneia, which in our time has come to be considered and is an acritical town, it can be seen from time to time through history that devotional piety, the deepest faith in God, has never ceased to permeate the being of the people. To this day, in all aspects of life, the Greek Orthodox tradition is constant and bubbles up well, as a quality of the soul of our people.
This architectural jewel, the church of St. Anthony, highlights precisely these characteristics of the Dereonites: piety, faith and the traditional renewal of life and presence in the world. I would even like to note the relevant action, care and concern of the Municipality of the city for the churches, but also for our ecclesiastical heritage, even in the "buffer zone".
This tradition, a large part of which - the core, I would say - is of course the Greek Orthodox tradition, constitutes the face and the main expression of the collective personality of our people. A people whose historical, geographical and strategic fate has destined it to constantly struggle and strive for its own identity and survival. And so, having continuity as an existential stake, it has always drawn from what has been handed down to it. As value, creation and transcendence deposited to the next, by those who came before. It is, moreover, wondrous and wonderful that the Orthodox tradition in us Greeks has finally been bound through the synthesis of centuries with our great Greek cultural heritage, in such a way that the elements and characteristics of these two great rivers of life once coincide and are indissoluble in the unity of people's lives.
For this reason and out of text, but from my heart, I feel the need, as Minister of Education - that is, basically of Greek education - to thank and express my gratitude to the Church of Cyprus for its contribution to historical continuity, but also to letters and culture. And because this current movement of renewal and rebirth through the creation of this church is exactly in keeping with the faith of the people and their traditional path. I believe that the State and the Church should constantly join forces and cooperate for the protection, preservation and promotion of the ecclesiastical heritage, which is an integral and very large part of the cultural heritage in general.
The history of this holy church goes back centuries, since according to local tradition it existed in a cave. The first form of the church was erected on the site of the pre-existing cave church around 1850. Since 1921 it belongs to the ecclesiastical committee of Deryneia.
It should also be noted that this church became the centre of worship and retreat of a later women's monastery. From 1935 to 1949, for 14 years there was an active monastic life in this holy place. Nuns kept it going under adverse conditions.
Thus we find ourselves today in this simple but beautiful church dedicated to the Great Saint Anthony, the first Ascetic who essentially founded monasticism and "settled the desert and supported the world with blessings."
Thus we find ourselves today in this simple but beautiful church dedicated to Saint Anthony the Great, the first Ascetic who essentially founded monasticism and "settled the desert and supported the world with blessings. It was no accident that St. Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, when he wrote the biography of Anthony and sent it to the monks of Egypt, began with the phrase "Join in good fellowship...".
There are many lay and clerical Derniotes who, for a century up to the present day, have offered their services to the church lavishly and selflessly. This tradition continues today. I congratulate Mr. Makridis, a well-known local, active social agent, who, on his own initiative and at his own expense, proceeded with the renovation of the church. With this noble offer he himself becomes part of the history of the church of the former Holy Monastery of St. Anthony of Deryneia.
I take this opportunity to mention that as the Ministry of Education and Culture, as well as Sports and Youth, we take a special interest in our Tradition. Both the intangible, oral and spiritual tradition, but also the built tradition. All kinds of monuments, especially ecclesiastical ones. In this way we will be able to meet the obligation of the State to keep up with the love of the people for the Greek Orthodox culture of our country. While in this way we also send a message to the younger generations, promoting morals and values that can inspire, amidst the many distractions and the plethora of messages and manners that characterize our times.
By modestly opening the doors of this temple, we open a window and a perspective into the future and we join with the ethos of the people here, of the region, who by their very life and works of living and rising, resist. They stand firmly as the guarantee that the border town will cease to be an "edge", with barbed wire and so-called borders.
Congratulating again those who have contributed to the renovation work of this holy church and wishing continuity in your God-given work, I wish, Your Eminence, to thank you for giving me the opportunity to share with you today this special beautiful moment.
IP
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