Cathedral of Saints Constantine and Helen | |
---|---|
| |
26°11′39″S 28°03′04″E / 26.194167°S 28.0511°E / -26.194167; 28.0511 | |
Country | South Africa |
Denomination | Greek Orthodox |
Architecture | |
Architect(s) | Hermann Kallenbach |
Style | Byzantine |
Completed | 1912 (Opened 5 January 1913) |
Construction cost | £3,300 |
The Cathedral of Saints Constantine and Helen is a historical Greek Orthodox Church in Johannesburg, designed by architect Hermann Kallenbach and built in 1912. [1] It is a SAHRA protected site.
The white walled church was designed by Hermann Kallenbach who was a close friend and admirer of Mahatma Gandhi. (Kallenbach lived in the same house and donated a farm to Gandhi). The church was required by the growing population of Greeks who had moved to Yeoville and Berea in the 19th century. [1] The community took six years to raise the £3,300 for the building led by the Ladies Benevolent Association, Archimandrite Nicodemos Sarikas [2] and Archimandrite Athanasios Nicolopoulos. [3]
Kallenbach created a church in the Byzantine style [3] in 1912 for the Greek community with a number of different roof levels which were not designed to be at the same angle. These complement the large three-storey high dome which is painted blue on the inside. [1] The new building opened on 5 January 1913. The cathedral is dedicated to the emperor Saint Constantine and his mother Saint Helen. [3]
Today the Greek congregation is reducing and the congregation are now drawn from a much wider area with this being one of three Greek Orthodox churches in the city. The church is a South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) protected site. [1]