Greek festivals offer Greek food and culture but St. Barbara’s Greek Orthodox Church, which held its first in 1984, offers a look at Byzantine-style art, said Father Frank Kirlangitis.
“If somebody wants to be in touch with that kind of art, they visit St. Barbara to understand what it’s about,” he told the site YourObserver, noting that the Orthodox Church has expressive religious mosaics.
The parish’s initial artwork, a series of mosaics centered on the church altar, was installed in 1994 by the renowned mosaicist Sirio Tonelli, and the display was later expanded through handmade oil paintings by George Filippakis which cover the walls, choir loft, and dome, the report also added.
The mosaics follow the same layout as those of Greek Orthodox churches around the world, featuring panels of six saints along with the church’s patron saint.
Said one member: “We pray with icons, we venerate them, we kiss them, since they represent somebody that we love. We step in the church and we feel that they are family members, because we are a part of the kingdom of God, all of us.”