Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral was founded as a church in 1904 to serve the

Greek Orthodox Greek Orthodox Church (, , ) is a term that can refer to any one of three classes of Christian Churches, each associated in some way with Greek Christianity, Levantine Arabic-speaking Christians or more broadly the rite used in the Eastern Rom ...

residents of the

District of Columbia Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

. In 1962, the church was elevated to a cathedral under the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of America in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and serves as his cathedral in Washington. The church is not named for Saint Sophia the martyr, but rather the

Holy Wisdom Holy Wisdom (, ) is a concept in Christian theology. Christian theology received the Old Testament personification of Wisdom (Hebrew ''Chokmah'') as well as the concept of Sophia (wisdom), Wisdom (''Sophia'') from Greek philosophy, especially ...

of God in the tradition of

Hagia Sophia Hagia Sophia (; ; ; ; ), officially the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque (; ), is a mosque and former Church (building), church serving as a major cultural and historical site in Istanbul, Turkey. The last of three church buildings to be successively ...

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

. The building is in the

Neo-Byzantine Neo-Byzantine architecture (also referred to as Byzantine Revival) was a Revivalism (architecture), revival movement, most frequently seen in religious, institutional and public buildings. It incorporates elements of the Byzantine architecture, ...

style with a central dome that reaches in height. The congregation met in temporary quarters for several years, prior to the construction of its own church near 8th and L Streets NW which was dedicated in 1924. This site is currently occupied by the

Walter E. Washington Convention Center The Walter E. Washington Convention Center is a convention center located in Washington, D.C., owned and operated by the city's convention arm, Events DC. Designed in a joint venture by the Atlanta-based architecture firm Tvsdesign, Washington ...

. Construction on the current edifice at 2815 36th Street NW, near Massachusetts Avenue and a short distance from the

Washington National Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Episcopal Diocese of Washington, commonly known as Washington National Cathedral or National Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Episcopal Church. The cathedral is located in Wa ...

, began in 1951. The congregation began worshipping there in 1955 shortly after major construction was completed. Although the building has been in use for over fifty years, the interior decoration is incomplete. Work began on the interior in 1965 and continues to the present. The cathedral was Consecrated in May 2015 by Archbishop Demetrios of America. In 2003, construction began on an education center to the east of the sanctuary. It opened September 16, 2004, and contains classrooms, a library and ballroom to house gatherings. On May 10, the cathedral was consecrated in a service presided over by Archbishop Demetrios of America, Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America; Bishop Andonios of Phasiane, Chancellor of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America; the Reverend Steven Zorzos, Presiding Priest of Saint Sophia Cathedral; the Reverend Dimitrios Lee, Assistant Priest of Saint Sophia Cathedral; the Reverend John Tavlarides, Presiding Priest Emeritus of Saint Sophia Cathedral; and Archdeacon Panteleimon Papadopoulos. As part of the service, the relics of three saints were interred in the altar table—those of Saint Panteleimon, Saint Barbara and Saint Kyrikos (representing a male saint, a female saint and one of the few child saints).

References

External links

https://www.saintsophiadc.org/about/history/ Greek-American culture in Washington, D.C. Cathedrals in Washington, D.C. Greek Orthodox cathedrals in the United States Eastern Orthodoxy in Washington, D.C. Church buildings with domes {{US-EO-church-stub