Thessalonica | Martyria

Studia Theologica No. II (XXII) / 2026 The Feast of Saint Demetrius in Thessaloniki: the Saint’s ‘Easter’ as a special way for the people of Thessaloniki to honour the city’s patron saint Professor, PhD Pandele Léccu

This article analyses the liturgical veneration of Saint Demetrius the Myrrh-Giver in Thessaloniki, focusing on a unique feature in the history of the Orthodox Church: the local practice of celebrating his commemoration on 26 October following the model of Great Week and Easter, with special pre-feast services attested in 15th-century manuscripts, including the Typikon compiled by Saint Simeon of Thessaloniki, and with hymnographic contributions by John Stavráchie, Saint Simeon of Thessaloniki and Saint Simeon Metaphrastes.

Studia Theologica No. I (XXI) / 2026 ‘Life in Christ’, according to the teachings of Saint Nicholas Cabasilas Prof. Dr. Maria Carábelia

Saint Nicholas Cabasilas (1322-1392), a lay theologian from Thessaloniki, is presented through the lens of his work On the Life in Christ, with a focus on the sacramental theology of Baptism, Chrismation and the Divine Eucharist as the ontological foundation of the Christian life, and on the role of the cooperation between divine grace and human freedom in the attainment of deification.