112 years ago – on the name day of Saint Nicholas, which we just celebrated this week on 6 December – a special stone was laid.
That stone literally became the foundation of the Greek Orthodox community in Victoria. The story came to light as part of Neos Kosmos’ special bilingual edition on the history and future of the Greek Orthodox Community in Melbourne.
Thursday’s edition was filled with stories from the history of the Greek community and part of that was the history of the birth of one of the first Greek Orthodox churches in Australia; the Greek Orthodox Church Evangelismos. The edition revealed the story of the Evangelismos – a church that has been at the heart of the Greek community in Victoria for over 100 years, and it’s connection to a Russian king.
The day in question might seem like a coincidence, but in fact the day was specifically chosen to honour the name day of the “supreme head of the Greek Church”, Tsar Nicholas II. The service on 6 December 1900 was an event to remember. Religious figures from various denominations and politicians in top hats came together to bless the church and see to a speedy building process. The stone wasn’t laid without a full religious ceremony.
The daily Melbourne paper of the time Argus reported Father Athanasios Kantopoulos took on the role and didn’t just bless the site. “The service included the blessing of a scroll containing the names of subscribers, which was then placed in a glass jar, containing Russian and English coins, stones from Golgotha and the Saviour’s tomb, and other tokes of special significance to the faithful, the whole being afterwards placed in a cavity -beneath, the foundation-stone,” Argus reported. The Mayor of Melbourne at the time said the determination to build a church proved that the Greeks of the community had resolved to become permanent citizens of Melbourne, a sentiment quite advanced for the time.
In correspondence, the Tzar and the Queen of Greece were updated on the news. The Russian Consul-General said in a message, “His Excellency wishes to express to His Majesty the absolute loyalty of his Russian subjects, the unbounded devotion of the (Greeks and Syrians, and their fervent prayers for the health of the emperor.” The Queen of Greece, Her Majesty Queen Olga was assured by the Russian Minister at Athens that the “gracious attention of the queen will be a source of copifort to the faithful”.
The building of the church took one year, and the honour of designing the church didn’t go to Greek, but rather British architects Inskip and Bulter. The design was drawn from French and German Medieval churches and is a simple brick and terracotta design. The style also harks back to the Byzantium. And in a true indication of inflation and the times, the total cost of the church back then was just £3,000. For years, Greeks in Australia went without a place of worship, a place to marry, a place to baptize and a place to mourn the dead. The void was filled and its long lasting effects were unanticipated.
It became the communal place for so many hardworking migrants, a place to keep traditions alive, a place to meet a prospective wife and a place to not feel so far away from home. It was a big win, for those who battled to get a church set up for so many years. Even now, the church has stood the test of time. Victoria has given it the seal of approval by Heritage listing the church.