Tag: Greek Church

The restoration of an abandoned orphanage reclaimed this week by the Greek Orthodox church from Turkey will cost around $50 million, Star newspaper reported.

The restoration of the former orphanage on the Island of Buyukada near Istanbul will require that planks from the building, one of the largest wooden structures in Europe, be removed and restored one-by-one, Star said, citing Greek architects investigating the site.

After its restoration, the Istanbul-based Greek Orthodox church will use the building as a center for theological studies and interfaith dialogue, Star said.

To contact the reporter responsible for this story: Benjamin Harvey at Bharvey11@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Peter Hirschberg in Jerusalem at phirschberg@bloomberg.net.

via Greek Church Needs $50 Million for Restoration, Star Says – Bloomberg.

Earlier this month, the longtime head of a Greek Orthodox Church in New York was summoned to meet with the church’s leader in Greece and when leaving New York, he told the nuns to keep an eye on a bag.

Shortly thereafter, officers at the New York Police Department were in receipt of 100 gold coins and $260,000 in cash turned into them by one of those nuns, the New York Post reports. Curiosity got the best of the sister who panicked after discovering the valuables.

Though no criminal mischief is suspected, the Greek Orthodox Church has opened its own probe, a Greek newspaper reports. Three church investigators arrived from Istanbul to delve into the situation and they ordered the chambers belonging to the head be sealed.

That head also has been meeting with top officials of the Greek Church while in Greece.

“He’s extremely intelligent,” a parishioner of about 30 years said of the head to the New York Post. “It’s like listening to god.”

He said he and other parishioners believe the cash was to be used for building the monastery.

via Gold coins, cash left behind at Greek church – Gold & Investment.