The historic Prigipou Orphanage in Turkey, the imposing 20,000-square-meter wooden building in the Prigiponnese, will eventually be developed as a hotel.
The announcement was made by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew during an event on the history of the building, which was held at the island’s museum.
In his speech, the Patriarch spoke both about the long history and contribution of the orphanage and the future of the building, which has suffered serious damage and is in danger of collapsing in several places.
Bartholomew’s memories of the Orphanage
Mr. Bartholomew spoke movingly of his relationship with the place and recalled his visits there as a student at the Halki School of Theology.
“Tonight on this spring evening I am among the Prigipanians, the islanders, our fellow citizens, together with the dear brother Saint of the Prigiponians, Mr. Mayor and all of you fine people present and sharing a common interest, a love, an affection for this imposing building of our orphanage, which has held in its arms so many orphaned children of the Diaspora for many decades. We mourn the late Eleni Zarifis, who bought it and offered it to the Church to become an orphanage. We remember with gratitude all the principals and teachers who protected and educated the children of the expatriate community on Christ Hill.”
He then described personal moments from those years: “When I was a student at Halki, many Sunday afternoons, after Mass and lunch, the superintendent of the school, whoever it was, would bring all of us Halki students together, we would go up to the orphanage, hang out with the orphan children, play ball with them, and I have sweet memories of those beautiful years.”
