His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia played a key role in a landmark agreement signed on Monday, 15 June 2026, aimed at securing the future of the historic Greek Orphanage complex on Prinkipo, one of the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s most significant properties.
As Chairman of the special committee established by the Ecumenical Patriarchate to study and finalise the project, Archbishop Makarios was present at the signing ceremony held at the Marasleios School building in the Phanar.
The agreement was signed by His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Serdar Bilgili, Chairman of Bilgili Holding, one of Turkey’s leading real estate investment companies, in the presence of Konstantza Sbokou-Konstantakopoulou representing ENSOFI Holding, a pioneering Greek company active in sustainable tourism development and real estate investment.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate, Bilgili Holding and ENSOFI Holding will work together on the management and redevelopment of the historic site.
Also present was Panteleimon Vingas, Archon Grand Chartophylax of the Mother Church, who has coordinated the Patriarchate’s efforts concerning the Orphanage in recent years, along with senior executives from both companies. The Synodal Metropolitans, His Eminence Metropolitan Theoleptos of Iconium and His Eminence Metropolitan Gregorios of Ankara, Protosyncellus, as well as other Patriarchal officials, also attended.
The agreement forms part of the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s longstanding efforts to preserve and revitalise the historic Greek Orphanage on Prinkipo.
Originally built as the “Pringipos Palace” hotel, the property came into the ownership of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 1903 through a donation from the great benefactress Helen Zarifi. It later operated as an orphanage and residential facility for children until its closure in 1964 by state authorities.
In 2010, following a legal challenge by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the European Court of Human Rights recognised the Patriarchate’s ownership of the property after it had been contested in Turkey. That ruling paved the way for efforts to secure the future of the historic building, which remains the only property for which the Patriarchate holds title deeds in its own name.
