Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew attended, on Saturday afternoon, November 15, 2025, an event held at the Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos in Valinou, dedicated to the theme “Reviving the Acoustics of Hagia Sophia.”
During the event, Byzantine hymns were presented, whose sound had been specially processed so that the final audio result closely resembled the unique acoustics of Hagia Sophia.
The revival of Hagia Sophia’s acoustics was made possible through research conducted by the scientific team of the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics at Stanford University, USA.
Under the guidance of the program’s directors, and following an initiative by Byron Nicolaides, Founder and President of PeopleCert, Byzantine hymns were recorded by the “Hagia Sophia PeopleCert” Choir, consisting of 33 chanters under the direction of Archon Maistor of the Great Church of Christ, Grigorios Daravanoglou.
Several of these recordings were presented during the event, which concluded with the Patriarchal Polychronion.
It is noteworthy that a special permanent audio system, designed within the framework of the American research project, was installed in the church on the initiative of Nicolaides.
The event was attended by Hierarchs of the Ecumenical Throne, Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Consul General of Greece in Constantinople, Ambassador Konstantinos Koutras, and many guests.
The Ecumenical Patriarch warmly congratulated Nicolaides for the initiative, as well as all contributors.
Earlier, Nicolaides addressed the audience regarding the “Reviving the Acoustics of Hagia Sophia” project, while Symeon Soltaridis, President of the Community, welcomed those present.
Photo: Nikos Papachristou
