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A sunday mass in the Greek Orthodox Patriarchade in Istanbul.

The Archbishop of Constantinople (Istanbul) or the Ecumenical Patriarch, ranking as the “first among equals” out of 28 patriarchs in Eastern Orthodoxy, is the spiritual leader of some 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide.

The Ecumenical Patriarch, which has a history spanning seventeen centuries, has no direct jurisdiction outside the Patriarchate of Constantinople. But his primary function regarding the whole Orthodox Church is one of dealing with relations between independent and semi-independent churches.

The Hagios Georgius Church seen in the picture was originally a nun monastery built in the 12th century. It was converted into a priest monastery when the patriarchade was moved to its current location in the Fener district in the year 1601. It was rebuilt in the 18th century in its current basilica form.

The person on the right is the current Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomew I.

Cropped, increased sharpness and applied a few retouches.

For another shot of the same scene in b&w see here

Sources: I , II , III