Photo Journal: Holy Protection Russian Orthodox Church, Austin, Texas
A parish of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia. 1701 Peridot Rd., Pflugerville, TX  78660    http://www.orthodoxaustin.org

(Hear our choir (June 6 '09)----Our Father---Trisagion)

Pictures of the ongoing completion of our new church, April 10, 2011--Fifth Sunday in Lent

Above is a recent picture of the work on the church. The specially-made pillars are installed. Since this picture was taken, a similar arch has been placed over the main icon of Christ and adorned in the same manner as its sister arch over the main icon of the Holy Virgin. Lampadas now hang in front of these two holy Icons. Icons have been hung in the altar area now, and by Sunday holy Icons should be finished being placed in the choir's area. Austin iconographer Elena Kulikova has been commissioned to make an Icon of the Holy Protection for veneration on the main icon-stand (analoy) in the center of the church. Meanwhile, we are in the process of finalizing an order for handpainted Icons with gold leaf backgrounds, from the workshop of one of America's most famous iconographers, to adorn the entire iconostas. However, such classical high-quality iconography does not come for free. We need your monetary help! Please consider sponsoring a holy Icon. Materials are in preparation which will show the exact areas where the Icons will go, and which Saint or type of Saint will be in each Icon, and how much each Icon will cost. This should help those who would like to be "connected" with a particular Icon. If you have a Saint who is dear to you--has helped you--you can ensure that the icon of this Saint appears upon the iconostas, by donating the cost for that Icon. When the schematic is ready for proposed iconostas Icons, we will post it on our website and all this will become much clearer. God bless you for your help to us and your devotion towards Him!

Reader Mark replaced the dimmer switch on the main chandelier and added dimmer switches for the choir-area chandelier and the altar-area chandelier. The lighting is beautiful and we don't have to experience abrupt changes in light during the vigil service. Anna Spikes, who is the new president of the Sisterhood, completed the painting of the walls in the youth room, and added a multi-color window covering. The effect is beautiful--please give it a look, next time you're at church.

Pictures from April 3, 2011--Fourth Sunday in Lent

Left: Fr. Hieromonk Aidan (left) and military chaplain Fr. Paul Andreasen (right) in front of the temporarily-adorned ikonostas. Click this and the other images below to see much greater detail (slow load times).

The features of the iconostas as it will be upon completion begin to show themselves. All that is shown here, is a temporary placement of some icons to facilitate the current worship in the church. Within some six months these temporary images, God willing, will be replaced with handpainted icons by a well-known master iconographer.

The bottom tier icons will be large ones of the Mother of God and Saviour flanking the royal doors; the equivalent space to the far left of the iconostas will be held by an identically-sized icon of St. Nicholas; the one on the far right will be, of course, the patronal icon of the Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God. They will be not in this dark green, severe Greek style, like the handpainted icons shown, but in a classical Russian style reminiscent of the school of Novgorod, with gold leaf.

Above this "tier" icons of the 12 Apostles will run across the iconostas, left to right. Over the royal doors will be the Holy Spirit Dove, with rays, and over that the Mystical Supper icon. Angles may be placed in the curved sections at top. 

Sergei has completed the carving of the two square panels beneath the principal icons flanking the royal doors. There will be two panels, but of a different theme, beneath St. Nicholas and the Pokrov icon.

The royal doors will have two full-length panels showing the Annunciation of St. Gabriel to the Mother of God. We are trying to determine the final artistic plan for the doors.

Please note that you may donate for the completion of any particular part of the iconostas. If you feel close to St. Nicholas, or wish to honour the Mother of God, or one of the Apostles is your patron saint, for example, you can donate towards the completion of these icons. The main icons will be about $850 to complete, the smaller Apostles' icons about $250 each. Please help beautify this holy church where the Russian Orthodox traditions of prayer and worship are preserved lovingly. Thank you, and God bless you for your kindness!    - Fr. Aidan

More pictures from April 3, 2011 (click on the thumbnails):


Fr. Aidan going on about something. The beauty of the developing iconostas may be gauged here, even looking at the temporary icons placed there.  

above: A frontal view of the iconostas taking shape, with its temporary adornment. Note that this Thursday, April 7, on the feast of the Annunciation, the swirling wooden pillars which were specially designed for our church should be arriving. This will greatly beautify the structure. The letters "X" and "B" which stand atop the iconostas stand for "Xpucmoc Bockpece"--"Christ is Risen," in Russian. St. Paul calls the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord the anchor and foundation of our whole Faith, and nowhere is this fact felt as keenly, or celebrated as maximally, as in the Russian Orthodox Christian Church.

 
Pictures from February 6, 2011

Each picture below is a thumbnail; click on it to see much greater detail. 









Thanks to parish photographer and warden, Sergei Larin.   Back to http://www.orthodoxaustin.org