By Aphrodite Kotrotsios, Co-Publisher
In 1989, the Annunciation Cathedral in San Francisco, CA, was demolished due to the Loma Prieta Earthquake. It is the only ever Greek Orthodox Church to have been destroyed by an earthquake in the U.S. Annunciation Cathedral is the Cathedral Church for the Metropolis of San Francisco, which is made up of the seven western states. For years, members of the Cathedral have proudly been organizing a building fund in order to rebuild the Cathedral, and now the project is currently underway. In 2013, the Cathedral was granted a building permit. Goldman Architects of San Francisco have developed the design of the new Cathedral which is based on Hagia Eirine, which is located near the Great Church of Hagia Sophia. The New Cathedral is destined to become a landmark in the U.S. as His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios indicated in his address at the Cathedral’s 85th anniversary gala in 2006. The interior will be designed with iconography by world renowned iconographer Giorgios Kordis, professor of Byzantine Iconography at the University of Athens. The Cathedral is on its way to its fundraising goal, but any help would be greatly appreciated for this amazing project. The new Cathedral is underway to becoming a representation of a century of history and ecclesiastical tradition in the heart of San Francisco.
We would like to wish Father Stephen Kyriacou, Father Nikolaos (Niko) Bekris, parishioners, and the rebuilding team of Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral the best of luck in completing their project.
Please click here to view a short film by Kostas Petrakos on the blessing of the New Cathedral
