New Democracy lawmaker Maximos Charakopoulos urged Greeks to safeguard their national and religious identity during liberation anniversary celebrations in Farsala. Speaking at the ceremony, the Larissa representative said preserving cultural roots is essential at a time of growing European and international instability.
Charakopoulos attended a Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary in Farsala, followed by an official doxology commemorating the town and province's 1881 liberation from Ottoman rule. The service was officiated by Metropolitan Timotheos of Thessaliotis and Phanariofarsala.
The event coincided with August 15, known as Dekapentavgoustos or the Dormition of the Mother of God, a major holiday in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Charakopoulos said nationwide observances confirm the deep reverence of believers toward the Virgin Mary as a protective force during times of personal trial and hardship. He added that the summer holiday revitalises rural communities across Greece and brings traditional regional customs back to life.
Role of Orthodoxy in Greek independence
During his address, Charakopoulos argued that Orthodox Christianity served as a spiritual ark that preserved the Greek nation from moral and cultural destruction. He said faith provided the foundation for regenerated Hellenism to fight for freedom through the sacrifices of numerous insurgents, leading to the eventual integration of Farsala into the modern Greek state in 1881.
To illustrate the historic bond between religion and national identity, Charakopoulos pointed to pivotal moments from the Greek War of Independence of 1821. He recalled the revolutionary proclamation issued by commander Alexandros Ypsilantis calling on Greeks to fight for faith and fatherland. He also cited general Theodoros Kolokotronis, who told high school students in Athens after independence that insurgents fought first for their faith and second for their country.
Charakopoulos noted that this close connection was written into all revolutionary Greek constitutions, which opened with a formal dedication to the Holy Trinity. He emphasized that the same invocation remains at the beginning of the current constitution of Greece. Looking to modern challenges, he called for active efforts to protect this heritage against spiritual confusion in Europe, international turmoil, and revisionist global powers.
Vespers at Panagia Olympiotissa Monastery
The commemorations in Farsala followed evening religious services held on the eve of the holiday in the nearby district of Elassona. Charakopoulos attended an Archieratical Vespers service officiated by Metropolitan Chariton of Elassona at the historic Monastery of Panagia Olympiotissa.
During the service, clergy chanted traditional praises to the Virgin Mary before leading a solemn procession of the Epitaphios through the monastery grounds, accompanied by a gathering of local worshippers.
