On Sunday, July 12, 2026, according to the Julian calendar, the Holy Metropolis of Pisidia celebrated the memory of its founder, the Holy First Apostle to the Nations Paul, in the church that bears his name in Side (Manavgat). On the eve, the archpastor, His Eminence Metropolitan Job of Pisidia, presided over the festive all-night vigil, and on the day of the feast, the Divine Liturgy in concelebration with Father Angelos Vakalopoulos, from Athens, President of the Society for Mediterranean Culture, and the clergy of the Metropolis, in the presence of numerous faithful from Side, Antalya and Alanya, as well as a group of pilgrims from Greece.
In his homily, the Metropolitan emphasized that Antioch of Pisidia became the epicenter of the spread of Christianity “to all nations” because here the Apostle of the Gentiles preached the universality of salvation in Christ Jesus. “The universality of salvation in Christ means that salvation is intended for all people, regardless of nationality, social status, or their previous sins,” said the Metropolitan, adding that “today, almost two thousand years later, the Church of Pisidia continues to proclaim the good news of the universal salvation of humanity to those far and near.” And he concluded: “Today, the Church of Pisidia is neither a national club nor a political party, but a spiritual source of salvation, a place of reconciliation and union of man with God through the participation in the holy mysteries, through which the faithful partake of Divine grace and become the Body of Christ, uniting people of different origins in their common effort for spiritual perfection in Christ.”
At the end of the Divine Liturgy, a Memorial Service was celebrated for the repose Metropolitan Sotirios Trampas of blessed memory, founder of the holy churcg, whose memory is honored and preserved with love and respect. After the service, a reception was offered to the pious assembly in the church’s hall.
The church of the Holy Apostle Paul was built near the ancient city of Side in the municipality of Manavgat by the will of Metropolitan Sotirios Trampas of blessed memory and with the approval of the local authorities. The church has been operating normally since Pascha 2022 and was inaugurated in July of the same year.
