An exact replica of the Holy Icon of the Panaghia Portaitissa, was conveyed on Monday in a splendorous procession from Mt. Athos to the Metropolitan Cathedral of St. Demetrius in Thessaloniki. St. Demetrius is the patron saint of the ancient city.
A doxology service followed, officiated by the First Secretary of the Holy Metropolis of Thessaloniki, Archimandrite Fr. Iakovos Athanasiou, and co-officiated by clerics and deacons of the Metropolis. A vesper followed along with an invocation to the Panaghia, the Virgin Mary.