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[[Image:halki.jpg|thumb|250px|right|The Holy Theological School of Halki]]The '''Holy Theological School of Halki''' (also ''Chalki'') was, until its closure by the Turkish authorities in 1971, the main school of theology and primary [[seminary]] of the Ecumenical [[Patriarchate of Constantinople]]. It was is located on Halki, one of the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara.
==History==
The Orthodox Church 's activities on the island of Halki are traced back to the Byzantine period when the Monastery of the Holy Trinity was founded on the island. A date for the founding of the monastery is not known although the establishment of the [[monastery]] has been associated with [[Photius the Great|Photius I]], [[Patriarch of Constantinople]] (r. 858–861 and 878–886). Subsequently the monastery fell into ruin during the Turkish period.
The school of theology was established on the grounds of the old monastery after Patriarch [[Germanos IV of Constantinople|Germanos IV]] visited the island in 1842. Then, with the approval of the Turkish authorities, the operation of Holy Trinity monastery and the school of theology began operation on [[October 1]], 1844 with a special ceremony that marked the occasion.
Halki has received international attention in recent years. In October 1998, both houses of the United States Congress passed resolutions that supported the reopening of Halki. The American President Bill Clinton visited Halki during his visit to Turkey in 1999 and urged Turkish President Suleyman Demirel to allow reopening of the school. The European Union has also raised the issue as part of its negotiations over Turkish accession to the EU.
The Patriarchate has had hoped that promises from the Turkish government to allow the seminary to reopen would be enacted, this has no come to pass as of today.
==External links==
