In amongst the semi-detached houses and grassy gardens in suburban North London, a church with a distinctly Greek feel is starting to take shape.
Father Anastasios Salapatas has been priest of the St Panteleimon Greek Orthodox church in Harrow for the last 16 years. Until now he and his congregation have been gathering for worship at a local Anglican church, but with the community growing and in need of a larger meeting place, the time seemed right to take the plunge and get to work on a brand new church building.
They could have followed the modern day trend for simple, stylish and functional church buildings, but the congregation were unanimous in their desire for a church in the Byzantine style.
“We needed a proper Byzantine orthodox church building mainly because, ministering to our own people here, it reminds them of the architecture and all the other customs of where they are from,” he said.
Receiving planning permission was no problem - the council were rather excited at the prospect of having something “like St Paul’s Cathedral” in their neighbourhood, he quips. One person told him the church would be a landmark in Harrow.
Even with all the scaffolding and grey concrete base walls, the distinctiveness of the church is permeable. True to the Byzantine style, its interior is in the shape of the cross, while a dome, barrelled roof, apses, and painted icons on the inner walls will complete the look.
Construction on the new church got underway last July and the aim is to have the building finished in time to hold a Christmas mass at the end of this year.
“The community here is expanding all the time and this was something that was definitely and desperately needed,” said Fr Salapatas, who is also principal of the local Greek school.
For St Panteleimon, one of about 26 Greek Orthodox parishes in London, the new building is as much about making a home away from home for the congregation, as it is about passing on their customs and traditions to a new generation.
“The local Greek community here demanded this. It is not that people came from Greece and Cyprus to build churches here. These people came here to live and to work and because they demand this then we are serving them,” he explained.
“They are living away from their homeland and when you do that then you try to secure the continuation of the traditions and customs. You want your children to grow up the same way as you had grown up and experience the best possible way all the experiences that you had in your homeland.
“They make a lot of effort to do that, travelling many miles to bring their children to the church here to learn their native language. It seems that the people want to preserve the faith and traditions.”
Reflecting this desire, the church built a community centre three years ago where it runs a nursery and school for Greek children.
