Cathedral of Sts. Constantine and Helen
| Cathedral of Saints Constantine and Helen | |
|---|---|
 Greek Orthodox Church in Hillbrow | |
 | |
| 26°11′39″S 28°03′04″E / 26.194167°S 28.0511°E | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Denomination | Greek Orthodox |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Hermann Kallenbach |
| Style | Byzantine |
| Completed | 1912 (Opened 5 January 1913) |
| Construction cost | £3,300 |
The Cathedral of Saints Constantine and Helen is a historical Greek Orthodox Church in Johannesburg, designed by architect Hermann Kallenbach and built in 1912.[1] It is a SAHRA protected site.
Description
The white walled church was designed by Hermann Kallenbach who was a close friend and admirer of Mahatma Gandhi. (Kallenbach lived in the same house and donated a farm to Gandhi). The church was required by the growing population of Greeks who had moved to Yeoville and Berea in the 19th century.[1] The community took six years to raise the £3,300 for the building led by the Ladies Benevolent Association, Archimandrite Nicodemos Sarikas[2] and Archimandrite Athanasios Nicolopoulos.[3]
Kallenbach created a church in the Byzantine style[3] in 1912 for the Greek community with a number of different roof levels which were not designed to be at the same angle. These complement the large three-storey high dome which is painted blue on the inside.[1] The new building opened on 5 January 1913. The cathedral is dedicated to the emperor Saint Constantine and his mother Saint Helen.[3]
Today the Greek congregation is reducing and the congregation are now drawn from a much wider area with this being one of three Greek Orthodox churches in the city. The church is a South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) protected site.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d "City of Johannesburg Heritage". Archived from the original on 15 September 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- ^ History, The Hellenic Community, hellenic.co.za. Retrieved 22 August 2014
- ^ a b c 2014 plaque, Wikimania commons. Retrieved 22 August 2014
