St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral (Tarpon Springs, Florida)
St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral, is a historic church building and center for Greek-American life in Tarpon Springs, Florida. The church hosts an annual epiphany celebration on January 6 in which Greek Orthodox boys aged 16 to 18 dive into Spring Bayou to retrieve a cross.[1] A statue of an epiphany diver is located in front of the church.[2] The church has been featured on postcards.[3][4] The church is located at 36 North Pinellas Avenue.[1]
The first St. Nicholas Church in Tarpon was built in 1907. The existent building was completed in 1943. The domed church is an example of Neo-Byzantine architecture and was modelled after Saint Sophia Cathedral (Hagia Sophia) in Constantinople (now Istanbul).
The church includes marble from Greece. A weeping icon of Saint Nicholas is inside near the entrance. It has been seen to shed actual tears by some observers.[5] Inside there are 23 stained glass windows and the three large chandeliers from Czechoslovakia. The sixty ton altar of Greek marble was a gift from Greece and was originally part of the Greek exhibit at the first New York World's Fair.[6] It was obtained with help from George Frantzis.[7]
References
- 1 2 Tarpon Springs gets ready for Epiphany Ayana Stewart, January 5, 2016, Tampa Bay Times
- ↑ Epiphany, Tarpon Springs Michael Bilirakis, Representative (9th District)
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- ↑ Spiritual Florida; A Guide to retreat centers page 56
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- ↑ History of Epiphany Celebration
External links
Coordinates: 28°08′50″N 82°45′24″W / 28.1472°N 82.7567°W