The Edessa Ecclesiastical Museum ( Greek: Εκκλησιαστικό Μουσείο Έδεσσας) was founded in the northern Greek city of

Edessa Edessa (; grc, Ἔδεσσα, Édessa) was an ancient city (''polis'') in Upper Mesopotamia, founded during the Hellenistic period by King Seleucus I Nicator (), founder of the Seleucid Empire. It later became capital of the Kingdom of Osroene ...

in 1996, by the local Diocese of Edessa, Pella, and

Almopia Almopia ( el, Αλμωπία), or Enotia, also known in the Middle Ages as Moglena (Greek: Μογλενά, Macedonian and Bulgarian: Меглен or Мъглен), is a municipality and a former province (επαρχία) of the Pella regional uni ...

. The museum is located on the outskirts of the traditional Varossi district and adjacent to Kokkinos Vrahos. It occupies the second floor of a three-storey building owned by the Diocese at 23 Megalou Alexandrou Street.

Exhibits

The most important exhibits are ecclesiastical, but there are also mementoes of the Greeks' liberation struggles, of resistance to external foes, and of the fostering of the

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

faith. Exhibits include altar doors from old churches in the Pella prefecture, post-Byzantine icons of the

Panagia Panagia ( el, Παναγία, fem. of , + , the ''All-Holy'', or the ''Most Holy''; pronounced ) (also transliterated Panaghia or Panajia), in Medieval and Modern Greek, is one of the titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, used especially in Eastern ...

, the crucified Christ, and saints, oil lamps and candelabra, chalices, ecclesiastical vessels, icons from chancel screens, ''epitaphii'' (most notable among which is the Russian ''epitaphios'' from the church of

Aridaia Aridaía (; mk, С'ботско, ''S'botsko''; bg, Съботско) is a town and a former municipality in the Pella regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Almopia, of which it is a mun ...

, which dates from the time of the tsars), the vestments of the last three metropolitans of Edessa, Pella, and Almopia, rare ecclesiastical books, and numerous photographs of the various activities carried out within the diocese. There are also portraits and uniforms of men who took part in the Macedonian Struggle in the 1900s, traditional women's costumes, an Italian weapon that is a trophy of the Greco-Italian War of 1940, and the front page of the ''Makedonia'' newspaper describing the victories of the Greek army on the Albanian front during that war.

Gallery

File:Macedonian_Museums-43-Ekklhsiastiko_Edessas-189.jpg, The Vestments of the last three Metropolitans File:Macedonian_Museums-43-Ekklhsiastiko_Edessas-190.jpg,

Bema A bema was an elevated platform used as an orator's podium in ancient Athens. The term can refer to the raised area in a sanctuary. In Jewish synagogues, where it is used for Torah reading during services, the term used is bima or bimah. Ancien ...

doors File:Macedonian_Museums-43-Ekklhsiastiko_Edessas-191.jpg, Holy crosses and icons File:Macedonian_Museums-43-Ekklhsiastiko_Edessas-192.jpg, Photos of the activities of the Diocese

References

Sources

* {{Museums of Macedonia, http://www.museumsofmacedonia.gr/History_And_War/Ekklhsiastiko_Edessas.html Religious museums in Greece Museums in Edessa, Greece