THE FEAST OF THE VENERATION OF THE HONOURABLE CHAIN OF THE APOSTLE PETER – Jerusalem Patriarchate

On Thursday, 16th/29th January 2026, the Patriarchate celebrated the Feast of the Veneration of the Honourable Chain of the Apostle Peter at the Holy Monastery of Saint Nicodemus, the nocturnal disciple of the Lord—also known, according to tradition, as “of the Lentil”—situated by the Praetorium near the Via Dolorosa.

On this feast, the Church commemorates the event of the imprisonment of the Apostle Peter by Herod and his miraculous deliverance by God through an angel who broke his chain, according to the Book of the Acts of the Apostles (12:1–11).

For this feast, Vespers were celebrated on the eve and the Divine Liturgy in the morning, presided over by His Eminence Metropolitan Joakim of Heliopolis, with the concelebration of the Archimandrites Philoumenos and Thaddaeus, Priest Nektarios, and Hierodeacon Prodromos. The chanting was rendered by the chief cantor of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Deacon Efstathios, with the participation of representatives of the Greek General Consulate, monks, nuns, and Orthodox faithful of the City of Jerusalem.

Following the Dismissal of the Divine Liturgy, the Hegumen, Archimandrite Makarios, graciously offered hospitality to the Episcopal entourage and the congregation.

From the Chief Secretariat