Orthodox by Chipka
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Description
I am not a religious person, despite my initiation into the Wiccan faith; the Wiccan path is more a philosophical journey than a club you join, which is what drew me in that direction in the first place. The philosophy of Wicca is appealing. The rituals have an odd relation to quantum physics (without the techno-jargon…well, without the scientific sort of techno-jargon.)
I won’t go so far as to say that the world will be better off without religion, especially modern, Western (or Middle Eastern) religion. It does serve a purpose, dodgy though that purpose may be, and well…I don’t believe in taking crutches away from people until I’m certain that they are able and willing to walk on their own.
Having said all of this, I’m fascinated by the trappings of western religion. The whole tangled mass of prejudices and cruel predispositions that is religion has led to something strange. Beautiful architecture. Stained glass windows. Polyphonic choral arrangements. Ironically, the worship of a god who acts suspiciously like King Henry VIII has led to the construction of many of the world’s most beautiful structures, and stunning (though sometimes pornographic) artwork. Just look at an old Cathedral ceiling, there are more mammary glands up there than in the pages of Playboy Magazine.
I love churches: especially those of the more orthodox inclination, be they Greek, Russian, or some strange, Byzantine throwback that barely exists today. The newer churches (mostly Protestant in nature and largely Baptist—or some equally young sect) just don’t grab my attention. They’re not grand enough, they’re not sincere in their Gothic or Greek, Byzantine extravagance. Unlike Russian Orthodox cathedrals, you’ll never see one of them wearing giant, gold-plated onions on top. Modern day Mega Churches look like futuristic euthanasia centers beaming God-radiation into their neighborhoods through blue-neon crosses. I guess, if you have the right kind of antenna array, you can actually pick up transmissions from God, but be careful, they’re not FDA-Approved and they might cause brain rot.
But old churches are beautiful. They aren’t just facades. They’re the real deal, dark and dodgy though that deal might be. They were built by craftsmen and not prefabrication plants. They are home to intriguing creatures from mythology (Yes, Christianity denies its own mythology, which is also telling…I mean, come on: talking snakes?! Immaculate conceptions that lead to male offspring? Angels who look and act suspiciously like Pazuzu? (In Cecil B. DeMille’s Ten Commandments that same Pazuzu-looking angel was portrayed as a green fog. I guess his quadruple-wings and impressive fangs were just too scary for 1950s-style piety.) Oh well.
While visiting Corey last summer, I found myself walking around his old neighborhood. I’d spent the night at Corey’s place and while he was still half-asleep, I was interested in some sunrise photography, so I woke him up, borrowed his key, and went out with my camera, promising to return with coffee for him. I’d been aware of Saint Andrews church for a long time, and suspected that it served the Greek Orthodox community. I didn’t realize (until I actually walked past it) that it’s a rather pretty structure. I snapped this picture, taking advantage of what I thought to be an interesting sky and sunrise-reflections from windows across the street. The sky, it turns out, was a bit “blah” in color, so I desaturated it here. Whenever I think of the positive side of religion, I think of things like this church. Pretty buildings with rusting copper roofs. I suppose if religion was more about architecture, death and pestilence might actually be smaller factors in the history of humanity. We’d have more gorgeous buildings to be proud of, too. But that’s just me.
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As always, thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting. It always means a lot.
Comments (22)
ladyraven23452
I love it and do understand what you are saying me myself being pagen some things are just what thay are.
helanker
I like this photo It is very beautiful as I like churches for their architecture. I dont think so much about religion. :)
-seek-
beautiful building and postwork!
mbz2662
Great shot~ I like how you desaturated the sky, and the angle in which you shot this. Good Work :)
ToniDunlap
FANTASTIC PHOTOGRAPH INDEED!
myrrhluz
Beautiful image! I love the desaturated sky, the glowing golden color of the building and the shadows and light. Thoroughly enjoyed the narrative. I'm a Unitarian Universalist, which has caused a few of my mother's friends to say, "Oh dear." and pray for me. I'm fascinated by religion and the history of it and have read a fair amount on Christianity and a bit on other religions. Nothing like knowing when creeds and doctrines where written and fought over, to cause one to dismiss them. Have you read Mark Twain's "Letters from the Earth" Marvelously irreverent! You might enjoy it. Good work in image and prose!
kgb224
Outstanding capture my friend.
durleybeachbum
Fascinating writing, Chip! Far too complex a discussion to engage in here, surfice to say the more I read about theology, the healthier my questioning becomes. But without the conviction of many folk of all faiths, the architecture of the world would be extremely poor. (and I wouldn't have got sponsorship for my banners!LOL)
claude19
Ah Ah Ah! After reading the first paragraph, Chip, my mind could not help bursting into laughter as inhabited by an evil genius! I myself am Protestant reformed religion, and I always liked the simplicity of our temples bare the simple span occupied by the bench and the table bearing the Bible! There I acquired a taste for sounds of the organ ... and remain attached to this church. In the U.S., the proliferation of churches baptized Protestant wrong (for me), are only interfaces to sell financial "Pardons"! Hence the birth of Protests in Europe among others by Calvin and Luther. I really wonder to spare for large Orthodox churches ... it seems that the faithful leave to advance their privileges, their Ors, a most beautiful church ... Our West since at least the nineteenth century building blends of worship and faith. In the Bible it says that God is everywhere ... so no luxury is necessary ... as I read in a book as a young man who had much disturbed "The astronomers who found God" ... as if faith needed height (in the physical sense) to become available. On the door or not believers of God! But what a beautiful text! Thank you Chip!
gypsyflame
It's most deffinately a beautiful church and I love what you did to the sky, also love the angle of the shot...For many years I followed the Wiccan "faith" if you will, for lack of a better word...I guess you could call me a Judas since I denied Christ many times in my life. I was born Methodist and later rebaptised Baptist. I had so many issues that I questioned about the Bible. It just seemed to contradict itself. But now as I have grown older, I find myself looking into Christianity again. Why? Maybe all the times my parents sent me to church when I was a little girl paid off...maybe I remember the place called Hell that the preacher seemed to dwell on..the word repent seems to once again haunting me. Or maybe I just want to believe that there is a place called Heaven and that my parents are there and NOT just dead in the ground.
WDCscg
You have captured this beautifully! Love the mottled light through the tree. My weakness are structures like this, exquisite beauty and extreme irony. Thank you my dearest Chip!
auntietk
Certain architecture, certain music, all commissioned or inspired by the church, has certainly enriched our culture. Others ... not so much! Regardless of the purpose of the building, the bricks are a gorgeous color, and the dappled light playing across the surface of the building is fabulous. I'll leave theology to those who enjoy it more than I do.
costapanos
Growing up in the Orthodox church held many wonders for me as a child(my grandfather was a priest). The Iconography,hymns and the pageantry of it all as the rituals have not changed in over 2000 years. Alas, I dont believe in the doctrine and religion does not play a role in my life. Too many hypocrisy's for my liking. Beautiful capture as always!
SIGMAWORLD
Excellent capture!
beachzz
As a woman who survived 12 years of catholic school, including 4 in an all girl's high school---i completely understand about church and tradition and rules and trappings and all of the stuff that normally goes along with churches, etc. The buildings are often monuments of excess, and I won't even begin to talk about those men who stand up there and tell us about all the things that are wrong. But I digress--this is a fine foto, love the sky and the dappled light!!
MrsRatbag
Beautiful capture, Chip; I like the desatched sky, it sets the structure off perfectly!
Meisiekind
Excellent image Chip - I love the sky and the building glows against it! Well done! :)
bmac62
Have read all of the comments above...but only after enjoying your photo for some minutes. Where you have seen the negatives, I saw the neutrals until I was 35. Today, based upon 34 more years of life experiences, I see the positives which I always love to engage upon but only when asked. Hope you don't mind a guy standing where I do being here. We (my wife - deceased now) and I loved visiting the huge Gothic cathedrals in Germany. They tended to be cold stone buildings with little spirituality left but the architecture was fantastic, just as you've described. You never knew who you'd bump into upon entering one of those great piles of stones. Prior to the wall coming down, deceased East German/Prussian VIPs resided in castles and churches in West Germany. Imagine moving famous remains ahead of advancing Soviet armies in 1943-45 to keep Freidrich the Great, Paul von Hindenberg and others out of Stalin's museums. We found Friedrich the Great and his father Friedrich Wilhelm in the Hohenzollern castle south of Stuttgart and von Hindenberg in the dark recesses of a cathedral in a small city in northern Bavaria...fascinating stuff. My two young daughters were brought up exploring with us...any wonder they both became theater majors in college? Well, anyway...I enjoy your postings immensely...keep 'em coming.
faroutsider
Majestic or pretentious, grand or bland....? To revel in the beauty and expansiveness of the structures and philosophies, or to rebel against imposed structure and restriction of free thought...? Excellent narrative and photography.
blondeblurr
Glorious-looking monument, shooting into the sky, proof of a by-gone era (?) maybe ? (of course not as beautiful, as those gold-plated onion domes in Moscow)... you must have been lying almost on your back to get this POV. My sentiments exactly, about hypocritical believes... but I had to laugh... "I don’t believe in taking crutches away from people until I’m certain that they are able and willing to walk on their own." or the ref. to "Playboy mag" or "Euthanasia Centres" ...it all rings so true! you got a way with words, I wish I had. Fantastic capture of architecture, love the light-play on the building BB
KatesFriend
Patina is one of those rare oxidations considered beneficial to buildings. The formation of copper oxide is a type of insulation that protects the roof or dome from the ravages of the local environment. Canada's Parliament building have copper roofs. The story goes that the workmen were encouraged to urinate on them because this accelerated the formation of the patina. You are right about religion though, they did encourage some major leaps forward in architectural theory as they struggled to bridge the gap between earth and heaven.
kasalin
Excellent capture and writing, dear Chip !!!!!!!!!!!! Hugs Karin:)