St. Augustine, Florida
February 10, 2022
Located off of St. George Street, St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine is dedicated to the first colony of Greek people who came to America in 1768. The shrine contains exhibits that depict the life of early Greeks in America and the development of the Greek Orthodox Church in America. You can find artifacts, photographs, and historical documents that tell the story of the first Greek colony in the New World. Also within the shrine is the St. Photios Chapel which is a beautiful small-scale representation of a classic Greek orthodox chapel.
https://stphotios.org/
Exterior Photo 1:
Exterior Photo 2:
Artifact Photo 1:
The garments above are referred to as vestments and were to be worn by the bishop during worship services. The bishop is considered an icon of Jesus Christ and when leading services the church deems that he should resemble the "King of Glory in all His Majesty". Each piece of clothing has a meaning that can be found in the old testament and the style was developed during the Byzantine empire. The specific order that these garments must be put on is as follows: Tunic, Stole, Maniples, Genual, Imperial Robe, Small Omoforion, Cross, Engolpion, Mitre, Staff, Candlesticks.
Artifact Photo 2:
The box above holds relics which according to catholiceducation.org "is a piece of the body of a saint, an item owned or used by the saint, or an object which has been touched to the tomb of a saint." In this specific box (called a Reliquary) the relics are small pieces of bone. These relics were obtained from the Vatican and were gifted to the national shrine in 1984 by the Three Hierarches Greek Orthodox Church in Brooklyn, New York.
In Conversation Photo 1:
When walking through the Greek Orthodox Shrine the ornate robes behind the glass cases immediately caught my eye. Not only are they beautiful but they made me think about my church back home. In the Disciples of Christ denomination of Christianity the pastor typically dresses in robes and stoles during service. These robes and stoles are not nearly as decorative as the vestments worn in the Greek Orthodox church; however, they are worn in both churches due to tradition. They show that the individual wearing it is an ordained minister and a representative of God. Sometimes similar robes can also be found on acolytes as well as newly baptized individuals.
Not all denominations/ ministers choose to wear traditional robes. This is because of the Reformation of the 1500s. At the time many people were breaking away from the Roman Catholic Church, and as a reaction to this many clergies stopped wearing robes as a mark of separation from the Roman church. Other denominations that formed after the Reformation choose not to wear robes because they claim that robes were a mark of the elevation of clergy over the laity.
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In Conversation Photo 2:
Within the chapel were candles that had been lit and placed into a box of sand. Whenever a see candles in a religious context I immediately think of candlelit Christmas Eve services (called midnight mass) at church. These candles are meant to be symbolic of the light of Christ on the Night that he was born. Leading up to this service advent candles are lit to represent hope, peace, joy, and love. Candles are extremely important in Christianity as they represent Christ, the spirit of truth, illumination of dark times, and hope for light after death. Candles are often used during prayer or meditation like the prayer candles in the shrine.
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