St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church

St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church: A congregation in the Greek Orthodox tradition

St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church (4335 16th Street NW) is a Greek Orthodox congregation and is next door to Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church on 16th Street. St. George's is named for 3rd century A.D./C.E. soldier and martyr George of Anatolia. George refused to renounce his Christian beliefs and was tortured and beheaded in 303 B.C. Today, he is the patron saint of Aragon, Catalonia, England, Ethiopia, Georgia, Greece, Palestine, Portugal, and Russia and an annual feast day--April 23--commemorates his martyrdom.

Although St. George's Church has a well-developed website, it doesn't provide a specific history of the congregation or its building. Nevertheless, the church appears to be actively engaged in the lives of its parishioners and they in the life of the church. In addition to the traditional parish council, the church also has a choir that sings Russian and Byzantine melodies and a cantor who chants in Arabic; the Fellowship of Saint John the Divine where, according to the church's website, "If you exceeded your teen years, (and you no longer know everything), the Fellowship is where you want to be for your continued self development both socially, as well as spiritually"; and the Ladies Myrrh Bearing Society. (Click on images to enlarge.)

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 2/08

Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church

Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church:
Preserving the beauty and grandeur of the Greek Orthodox tradition

In 1918, a group of Greek immigrants gathered and formed a religious community "in keeping with its political and philosophical convictions." With a $25,000 contribution from Demetrios Theophilatos, a wealthy ship owner, the Greek community in Washington purchased a church at 6th and C Streets SW. The parish searched for a priest to lead their congregation and Father Nicholas Menides took up the calling. Thus was born Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church. Like many other Greek Orthodox congregations in the U.S., this one was aware of and influenced by the political atmosphere in their homeland of Greece. This influence resulted in divisions within the congregations, which led the congregation of Constantine & Helen to align themselves with the Autocephalous Church of America and Canada. Over the years, the church grew and was politically and socially active in Washington, D.C.

In 1954, the church moved from southwest D.C. to a new church at 16th and Upshur Streets NW (4115 16th Street NW) and their church was consecrated in 1960. At one point, the church's sanctuary was heavily damaged by a mysterious fire. According to Constantine and Helen's website, the fire "reduced the Holy Week Cross to charcoal--but wonder of wonders, the figure of Christ remained untouched!" This Greek Orthodox church has a long and respected history in the city and has been the site of many historical events within the congregation and visits from many notable dignitaries, including Kings George and Paul of Greece, Prime Minister Konstantinos Tsaldaris, and First Lady Betty Ford. The church was also the site of the last divine liturgy delivered by Archbishop Athenagoras before his ascension to the Ecumenical Throne--the Greek Orthodox equivalent of papal ascension to the Holy See in the Roman Catholic Church.

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 4/08