The beauty that is St Basil’s
Hand-painted icons bring the bible to life at St Basil's.
The Greek Orthodox Church of St Basil located in Achilles Street, Springs, adds a note of grandeur to the town’s skyline.
However, the beauty of the outside of this church doesn’t hold a candle to what can be found inside.
The church was built in April 1972, funded by the Springs Hellenic community which, at the time, comprised 600 families.
Today, the church serves approximately 120 Greek families still living in Springs.
According to honourary chairperson Basil Yannoulias, the church is built in the Byzantine style of architecture and is a replica of the Hagia Sophia** in Istanbul.
The inside is shaped like a cross and bears hand-painted icons of the saints associated with the Greek Orthodox religion on the upper sections of the walls with the points of the cross bearing depictions of various Bible stories.
These were painted by Nikos Bessas who was brought from Greece, on four occasions, by the previous priest, Fr Spyros, who officiated over the church’s services for 31 years.
St Basil’s is now served by Fr Pascal who hails from the Congo and conducts services in Greek and English.
The church was named for St Basil of Caesarea, one of the three saints (the others being St Gregory of Nazianzus and St George of Nyssa) who wrote the hymns and liturgy texts used by the Greek Orthodox Church and is seen as a driving force in the establishment of the Orthodox religion.
They are collectively referred to as the Cappadocian Fathers.
At the front of the church is a set of low gates behind which is the alter.
Basil explains women may not enter this area and comments the same four people can be found depicted on either side of these gates in all Greek Orthodox churches.
To the left of the arch is Mary, mother of Jesus, with the saint of the church (in this case St Basil) next to her.
On the right of the arch is Jesus with John the Baptist next to him.
St Basil and Mary are also found at the back of the church on either side of the aisle when entering the church.
The murals found on the walls all depict stories from the Bible, including the birth, baptism, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, as well as the death of his mother.
“This church is very rich in Christianity,” says Basil, adding: “Instead of reading the stories in the Bible, you can see them in the icons which are all taken from the Bible.”
Honourary chairperson Basil Yannoulias, Fr Pascal and chairperson John Touhouras inside St Basil’s.
**Hagia Sophia is the former Greek Orthodox Christian patriarchal cathedral built in Constantinople (now Istanbul) in 537 AD at the beginning of the Middle Ages.
It was famous for its massive dome and was the world’s largest building and an engineering marvel of its time.
It is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture and is said to have “changed the history of architecture”.
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