Diving into the long and rich history of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, the leading ecclesiastical institution that continues to steadfastly shine throughout the world and uphold the Christian truth to this day, constitutes an interesting and valuable endeavor.

The study of certain patriarchal and synodal acts of the Legal Synod of Dositheus was the catalyst for me to investigate incidents and some aspects of the history of the metropolises of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The fruit of this effort was four studies, which are republished in this edition enriched by new data from historical research.

These aim to shed light on a small but significant period in the long journey of four historical metropolises of the once-thriving Hellenism: Anchialos, Imvros, Melinikos, and Sozopol. Of these, today, only the long-suffering metropolis of Imvros, united with Tenedos, falls under the spiritual and administrative jurisdiction of the ecumenical throne.

[...] (excerpt from the author's preface)