St. Sofia Orthodox Church

Baselstr. & Gladiolenstr. 2
Munchenstein
Basel-Landschaft

St. Sofia Orthodox Church

Munchenstein, Switzerland

Munchenstein is a small town south of Basel.


"All the Greek-Orthodox churches in Switzerland belong to the Metropolitan (bishopric) of Switzerland.  Bartholomew's Archontoon is the Ecumenical Patriarch. In 2002, he also laid the cornerstone of this church..., making it the spiritual center of the Greek Orthodox Church in northwest Switzerland.

"The first ideas for the construction of a church of its own originated in the late 1980s. 

Dome

"The total area of ​​the property is about 1000sqm and the building height is 14m. The foundation was laid on January 19, 2002 and the church was inaugurated on October 12, 2002, after ten months of construction. The total cost - almost 9/10 of the total (was)  donated  .

Just behind the Tramlinie and the traffic circle of the Baselstrasse, you can see a building that is easily recognizable as a church: a tower through which arcuate openings can be seen, carrying a cross; A main building with a dome, almost as tall as the tower and also crowned by a cross; An arcade at the entrance; The wrought-iron fence with a recurring Christmonogram, the property borders the Trottoir along the traffic of the roundabout and the Quartierstrasse. 

Wrought Iron Fence

"Concerning the interior of the church,

• The iconostasis, carved from oak, was handcrafted in Athens and finished after seven months' work in 2003.
• The murals , which always have a specific theme from the traditional Orthodox tradition, were first painted on cloth by a Greek monastery in Megara and then placed in the designated places.
• Among the items made in Greece are the candelabrum, the hand-carved bishop's chair, the pulpit, the wall chairs, the remaining chairs, the silver oil lamps, the candlestick and the candle stand with integrated smoke exhaust as well as all the liturgical devices placed in the altar room.
• The double eagle on the marble floor once symbolized the power of the emperor and that of the patriarch.
• The dome is decorated according to the orthodox tradition, with the representation of the Christ- Pantokrator surrounded by angels in half-figure. His right is raised to a blessing of blessing, while in his left hand he holds the Bible, which, according to orthodox understanding, symbolizes the glad tidings of the Gospel and the commandments to be derived from them. Old Testament prophets as well as the evangelists are also depicted. The first proclaimed the coming of the Savior, the evangelists made known His work of salvation. Thus the unity of the two testaments is emphasized.
• In the calotte (cap) of the apse in the altar chamber, the enthroned Mother of God is depicted with a child - called the Platytera - accompanied by angels. The presentation of Mary, which is based on tradition, is intended to illustrate the role of mediator between God and man, which is guaranteed by Jesus as the savior of the world, but also emphasize the position of women in the Orthodox Church. This is also emphasized by the figure of the Annunciation of Mary above the apse, which is to be completed next year, together with other themes from the divine Oiconomy .

"Finally, the mosaic of the deceased Lucerne artist Fred de Roy (1911-1995) is located in the church hall on the lower floor of the church . (Link 1.)

**********

Photos: Taken in April 2017 on iPhone by RW while  living and working in
                 Basel, Switzerland.

Link 1: http://www.orthkiba.org/ (translation)
Link 2: http://orthodox-world.org/en/i/12482/Saint_Sofia_Orthodox_Church_Munchenstein 

                                                                       Prayer

God, be with persecuted Christians throughout the world. Amen (SW.)

Biserica Ortodoxa Romana

Santa Maria Della Vittoria Church

Biserica Ortodoxa Romana/

Chiesa Ortodossa Romena

Milan, Italy

"It is located at the intersection of street Via Susanna and Via Settembre... A wonderful church where you can see Bernini's best work, St Teresa in Ectasy...  “Every bit as impressive as Sistine Chapel”"... (Link 4.)

All visitor photos

 

(31)

                                 Interior and Exterior Details
                                                           (Link 2.)        
   

                                            Exterior Plaque

                                               Front Doors

                                             Exterior Detail

" Four bronze medallions of the four brothers of Cardinal Luigi Omodei were executed in Rome by Bernini aid in the first half of the seventeenth century and used in four corners of the classroom to the obelisks of Santa Maria della Vittoria in Milan, transformed in this way in the family tomb of Omodei / Amadei." (Link 3.)

                                                   Tomb (Link 3.)

Note: L'Eroica is a celebration of Italian cycling during the heydays of the 40's and 50's whereby you experience the white roads of Tuscany.

GUSTOCYCLING.COM

Photos: Taken in Milan, Italy on iPhone by RW while  en route to the 2016

                 L'Eroica  Classic Bike Race in Tuscany, Italy.
Link 1: http://www.eroicagaiole.com/registration
Link 2: https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attraction_Review-g187849-d7785388-Reviews-Chiesa_di_Santa_Maria_della (translation)

Link 3: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Santa_Maria_della_Vittoria_(Milan)_-_Graves
Link 4: https://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowUserReviews-g187791-d246184-r387481210-Santa_Maria_della_Vittoria

Prayer

God, be with persecuted Christians throughout the world. Amen (SW.)

Biserica Ortodoxa Romana

Santa Maria Della Vittoria Church

Biserica Ortodoxa Romana/

Chiesa Ortodossa Romena

Milan, Italy

"It is located at the intersection of street Via Susanna and Via Settembre... A wonderful church where you can see Bernini's best work, St Teresa in Ectasy...  “Every bit as impressive as Sistine Chapel”"... (Link 4.)

All visitor photos

 

(31)

                                 Interior and Exterior Details
                                                           (Link 2.)        
   

                                            Exterior Plaque

                                               Front Doors

                                             Exterior Detail

" Four bronze medallions of the four brothers of Cardinal Luigi Omodei were executed in Rome by Bernini aid in the first half of the seventeenth century and used in four corners of the classroom to the obelisks of Santa Maria della Vittoria in Milan, transformed in this way in the family tomb of Omodei / Amadei." (Link 3.)

                                                   Tomb (Link 3.)

Note: L'Eroica is a celebration of Italian cycling during the heydays of the 40's and 50's whereby you experience the white roads of Tuscany.

GUSTOCYCLING.COM

Photos: Taken in Milan, Italy on iPhone by RW while  en route to the 2016

                 L'Eroica  Classic Bike Race in Tuscany, Italy.
Link 1: http://www.eroicagaiole.com/registration
Link 2: https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attraction_Review-g187849-d7785388-Reviews-Chiesa_di_Santa_Maria_della (translation)

Link 3: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Santa_Maria_della_Vittoria_(Milan)_-_Graves
Link 4: https://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowUserReviews-g187791-d246184-r387481210-Santa_Maria_della_Vittoria

Prayer

God, be with persecuted Christians throughout the world. Amen (SW.)

                                                                                                               October 18, 2015

St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church

2015

St. Nicolas Russian Orthodox Church
Juneau, Alaska

Inside Passage Cruise

Skagway, Juneau, Ketchican (north to south)

(Link 2.)

"The Inside Passage is a coastal route for oceangoing vessels along a network of passages which weave through the islands on the Pacific coast of North America. The route extends from southeastern Alaska, in the United States, through westernBritish Columbia, in Canada, to northwestern Washington state, in the United States. Ships using the route can avoid some of the bad weather in the open ocean and may visit some of the many isolated communities along the route. The Inside Passage is heavily travelled by cruise ships, freighters, tugs with tows, fishing craft and ships of the Alaska Marine Highway,BC Ferries, and Washington State Ferries systems.

The term "Inside Passage" is also often used to refer to the ocean and islands around the passage itself. The Inside Passage is also sometimes referred to as the "Inland Passage" which is in turn a reference to early explorers' quests to locate the Northwest Passage between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean." (Link 2.)

"The City and Borough of Juneau  is the capital city of Alaska. It is a unified municipality located on the Gastineau Channel in the Alaskan panhandle, and it is the second largest city in the United States by area. Juneau has been the capital of Alaska since 1906, when the government of what was then the District of Alaska was moved from Sitka as dictated by the U.S. Congress in 1900. The municipality unified on July 1, 1970, when the city of Juneau merged with the city of Douglas and the surrounding Greater Juneau Borough to form the current municipality,^[2] which is larger by area than both Rhode Islandand Delaware.

"In 2014, the population estimate from the United States Census Bureau was 32,406, making it the second most populous city in Alaska after Anchorage. Juneau's daily population can increase by roughly 6,000 people from visiting cruise ships between the months of May and September.

"The city is named after gold prospector Joe Juneau...

"Juneau is rather unusual among U.S. capitals in that there are no roads connecting the city to the rest of Alaska or to the rest of North America...

(Link 3.)

School, Church, Rectory before 1917
(REF.)

St. Nicolas, 1945

(Link 1.)

                                                                                  The Dome, Dec 2010

                                                                        (Link 1.)

Juneau was the first stop of the Sept. 14-21st cruise ship Norwegian Sun.  And it is  here that sits the  "oldest, continual use Orthodox structure in Southeast Alaska" (Link 1.)  St. Nicolas Russian Orthodox Church.

"Although there were no Russians in Juneau at that time and Alaska had been under United States control since 1867, the Russian Orthodox Church of St Nicholas was established there in 1894... it was the native Tlingit people who were the catalyst for the establishment of our church, " (Link 1.) (because services were in their own language.)

"After word reached Moscow that the work in Juneau had been established, the (Orthodox Missionary) Society sent architectural drawings and two thousand silver rubles to build and equip the church.  Another significant donation of 400 dollars came from Rev. Ivan Il’ich Sergiyev, known better to us as St. John of Kronstadt. The Iconostasis was constructed and provided by Ivan A. Zheverzheev’s Factory and Store of Church Utensils....In October 1893, a fundraising event was sponsored by a local Juneau physician. A total of $400 was raised at a "fancy dress ball" at the Court House where participants sought to win prizes, dance to an orchestra, and eat ice cream.

"Also included in the shipment were articles of interior church furnishings - candle stands, chalice set, censer, banners, a full icon screen and festal icons. Many of these items can still be seen (and some are still in use) at the church today." (Link 1.)

Interior Church Furnishings from Russia

Original Candelabra from Russia

"This building was constructed in 1893-1894 in Juneau with local timber, local labor, and under the supervision of Ellingen and Rudolph, a local contractor....(It was the last of the Orthodox churches made in this shape.-REF.) The (seven bay) iconostasis (icon screen) is the only part of this building that was made in Russia and assembled here.

Oconostasis

St. Nicolas

Center Painting on Iconoctasis

Theotokos and Ever Virgin Mary

Painting to Left of Center on Iconostasis

St. Methodios

Far Right Painting on Iconostasis

"At the time of the consecration, there was no dome or belfry in place on the building. The characteristic "onion" dome was constructed and placed in 1895. The bell and belfry were constructed and placed in 1905 or 1906.  Inscriptions on the bell indicate that it was cast (or at least sponsored) in St. Petersburg, Russia." (Link 1.)

Painting Above Sanctuary Entrance From Narthex

(Painted by local artist Charles Rohrbacker)

The octagonal shaped church consists basically of two rooms, the sanctuary and the narthex.  The congregation stands in the sanctuary during Sunday worship services.

On the walls of the sanctuary are groupings of liturgical paintings, many of which are enhanced gold leaf backgrounds or details.

Liturgical Painting Groupings On Side Walls of Sanctuary

In the narthex is a glass case of objects used in church services. Plaques describing the churches history line the walls.

19th Century Wedding Crowns

(In Case In Narthex)

A $120,000 restoration project was completed in 1979.  And in recent years parts of the church have again been restored.  "In 1990 the parishioners repainted the church inside and out..." "A $5000 grant...(paid for a) dome restoration in 1992." "The belfry was removed in... 2007, stored on the lawn, restored as part of the narthex restoration,  and replaced... (in) 2012." The roof of the old rectory was replaced in 2013.  Foundation work was done on the church in 2014. (REF.)

In 1974 St. Nicolas Orthodox Church in Juneau, Alaska was elected to the National Register of Historic Places. (REF.)

Thank you: To Patrick and Julia for guiding me around the church and gift

                 shop-in the original rectory next to the church.

Reference : The First Hundred Years 1984-1994 page 12, available at the
                 church gift shop.
Photos: Taken in Sept. 2015 by SW.

Link 1: http://www.stnicholasjuneau.org/
Link 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inside_Passage
Link 3: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juneau,_Alaska
Link 4: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Nicholas_Russian_Orthodox_Church_
                (Juneau,_Alaska)