Birmingham Orthodox Cathedral
Encyclopedia
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
on Summer Hill Terrace in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, dedicated to the Dormition of the Mother of God
Dormition of the Theotokos
The Dormition of the Theotokos is a Great Feast of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches which commemorates the "falling asleep" or death of the Theotokos , and her bodily resurrection before being taken up into heaven. It is celebrated on August 15 The Dormition...
and St Andrew. In Greek: The Orthodox Cathedral of the Dormition of the Theotokos and Saint Andreas. (Dormition or Falling Asleep of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, celebrated on August 15).
The building was formerly a Catholic Apostolic
Catholic Apostolic Church
The Catholic Apostolic Church was a religious movement which originated in England around 1831 and later spread to Germany and the United States. While often referred to as Irvingism, it was neither actually founded nor anticipated by Edward Irving. The Catholic Apostolic Church was organised in...
church. It was designed in 1873 by J.A. Chatwin who worked on many of Birmingham's churches, including St Philip's Cathedral, Birmingham
St Philip's Cathedral, Birmingham
The Cathedral Church of Saint Philip is the Church of England cathedral and the seat of the Bishop of Birmingham. Built as a parish church and consecrated in 1715, St Philip's became the cathedral of the newly formed Diocese of Birmingham in the West Midlands in 1905...
. It is a brick Gothic revival church in the Early English
English Gothic architecture
English Gothic is the name of the architectural style that flourished in England from about 1180 until about 1520.-Introduction:As with the Gothic architecture of other parts of Europe, English Gothic is defined by its pointed arches, vaulted roofs, buttresses, large windows, and spires...
style. It has a wide rectangular nave, an apse at each end and passage aisles through the buttresses. The interior consists of heavy brick arches on stout columns and clerestory windows between clustered wall shafts supporting a high arched roof. The west end has a tall archway set in a diapered brick wall leading into a baptistery
Baptistery
In Christian architecture the baptistry or baptistery is the separate centrally-planned structure surrounding the baptismal font. The baptistry may be incorporated within the body of a church or cathedral and be provided with an altar as a chapel...
. Some of the decoration was by Gibbs and Canning Limited
Gibbs and Canning Limited
Gibbs and Canning Limited was an English manufacturer of terracotta and, in particular, architectural terracotta, based in Glascote, Tamworth and founded in 1847....
of Tamworth
Tamworth
Tamworth is a town and local government district in Staffordshire, England, located north-east of Birmingham city centre and north-west of London. The town takes its name from the River Tame, which flows through the town, as does the River Anker...
. Renovations have taken place since circa 2000. The current priest is Protopresbyter Kosmas Pavlidis. The church also has a Greek school for children who wish to learn the Greek language.
See also
- St Philip'sSt Philip's Cathedral, BirminghamThe Cathedral Church of Saint Philip is the Church of England cathedral and the seat of the Bishop of Birmingham. Built as a parish church and consecrated in 1715, St Philip's became the cathedral of the newly formed Diocese of Birmingham in the West Midlands in 1905...
(Church of EnglandChurch of EnglandThe Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
) - St Chad's (CatholicCatholicThe word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
) - Greek Orthodox Church Of The Holy Trinity and St LukeGreek Orthodox Church Of The Holy Trinity and St LukeThe Church of The Holy Trinity and St Luke is a Greek Orthodox church in the north of Birmingham, England, dedicated to The Holy Trinity and St Luke. In Greek: "Ellinorthodoxi Ekklisia Tis Agias Triados kai Apostolou Louka". The church celebrates the Feast Day of St...
(Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great BritainArchdiocese of Thyateira and Great BritainThe Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain is an Archdiocese of the Eastern Orthodox Church, part of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Its present head is His Eminence Archbishop Gregorios . Its jurisdiction covers those Orthodox Christians living in Great Britain, the Isle of Man,...
)