Santa María de Trebisonda (Trabzon)
The Catholic church of Santa Maria de Trabzon was born from the cappuccino expelled from Tbilis by order of the Tsar, who took refuge in the city in 1845; the temple, dedicated to Santa Maria de la Purificación, was built between 1869 and 1874 and was the first cappuccino church in the Black Sea region.
🌹 Wonders and anecdotes
- Heroic Foundation: The Capuchin arrived in Trebisonda in 1845 fleeing the Tsarist persecution in Georgia, and with the help of the French consul they bought the temple's land.
- He covered the canvas of the "Maria Vergine di Trebisonda," smuggled out of Tbilis in 1845 under the habit of the cappuccino superior; the painting was stolen in 1888 and remains unknown.
- On 5 February 2006, Don Andrea Santoro, a Roman priest at the service of the Apostolic Vicariate of Anatolia, was killed while he was praying on his knees in this church; Cardinal Ruini was convinced that his death brings together the elements of Christian martyrdom.
- Despite further attacks in 2018, the church remains open to veneration and welcomes Christians visiting Trabzon.
Santa María de Trebisonda
Small and persistent, Santa Maria de Trebisonda is the only Catholic lighthouse in the ancient imperial city of the Black Sea. The blood of Don Andrea Santoro, shed before the altar of the Virgin, has made it a place of memory and prayer.
"St. Mary of Trebisonda," he keeps the persecuted Christians. Pray for us.
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