Saint Sophia Cathedral () is a Greek Orthodox church on Moscow Road in the Bayswater area of

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. It was consecrated as the Church of the Holy Wisdom on 5 February 1882 by Antonios, Metropolitan of Corfu, as a focus for the prosperous Greek community that had settled in London, particularly around Paddington, Bayswater and Notting Hill. Today, in addition to its regular Saturday and Sunday services, it hosts a Greek polyphonic choir, Byzantine music, and an associated school in which pupils discover the history and language of Greece and take Greek dancing lessons.

History

This was the third church to bear this name, the previous two (at

Finsbury Square Finsbury Square is a square in Finsbury in central London which includes a six-rink grass bowling green. It was developed in 1777 on the site of a previous area of green space to the north of the City of London known as Finsbury Fields, in the p ...

and at 82 London Wall) having been outgrown by the population of the Orthodox community, which had been swelled by settlers from the Greek diaspora and visitors who came through the busy shipping routes that converged on London. St Sophia was commissioned by a committee presided over by Emmanuel Mavrocordato (1830–1909), assisted by Constantinos A lonidis, Sophoclis Constantinidis, Petros P. Rodocanachi, Paraskevas Sechiaris and Demetrius Stefanovich Schilizzi (1839–1893) and the lawyer and traveller, Edwin Freshfield. The cost of £50,000 was raised in three years by the Greek community, including prosperous and influential London merchants and financiers. The first Liturgy was celebrated on 1 June 1879, 18 months after Eustratios Ralli laid the first stone. The cathedral recently opened a small museum to display some of the treasures donated to the cathedral by its 19th-century patrons and its links to London's Greek community. In 1922, the Greek Ecumenical Patriarchate chose St Sophia as a Cathedral of the Metropolis of Thyateira and Great Britain, encompassing all Orthodox Christians in the British Isles and Malta. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, London became the seat of the Greek government in exile, and St Sophia therefore became the cathedral of the Greek Nation. It was bombed during the Blitz, but was subsequently repaired. In 2006, a museum opened in the basement of the church.

Architecture

St Sophia is a Byzantine Revival design by architect John Oldrid Scott. Scott was responsible for many significant British churches, and was subsequently commissioned by Ralli to build St Stephen's Greek Orthodox Chapel in West Norwood Cemetery in 1873. From the outside the Cathedral appears relatively modest, only hinting at its style through the domed roof and arched windows. Inside it is elaborately decorated with polychromatic marble. The

iconostasis In Eastern Christianity, an iconostasis () is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a Church (building), church. ''Iconostasis'' also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed anywhere withi ...

(screen of icons) was painted by Ludwig Thiersch, who had studied religious painting in Athens. He had suggested that the walls not be decorated with frescos, because of the damp climate in London. Instead, the trustees commissioned Byzantine-inspired mosaics from G M Mercenero & Co, to the designs of A G Walker. From 1926, more mosaics were commissioned from Boris Anrep.

Gallery

File:St Sophia's Greek Orthodox Cathedral Interior 2, London, UK - Diliff.jpg, Looking towards the altar. File:St Sophia's Greek Orthodox Cathedral Interior 4, London, UK - Diliff.jpg, The

in front of the

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

. File:St Sophia's Greek Orthodox Cathedral Interior 1, London, UK - Diliff.jpg, The interior.

Notes

References

External links

* Sophia Churches completed in 1882 19th-century Eastern Orthodox church buildings Byzantine Revival architecture in the United Kingdom