Sts. Constantine and Helen Serbian Orthodox Church

Saints Constantine and Helen Serbian Orthodox Church
Saints Constantine and Helen Serbian Orthodox Church
Coordinates: 29°17′33″N 94°48′46″W / 29.292503°N 94.812712°W / 29.292503; -94.812712
Location	Galveston, Texas
Country	United States
Denomination	Serbian Orthodoxy
Previous denomination	Russian Orthodoxy
History
Founded	1861 (1861) (parish founded)
Consecrated	3 June 1896
Architecture
Status	Parish church
Groundbreaking	1895
Completed	1896
Administration
Parish	Saints Constantine and Helen Parish
Metropolis	Metropolitanate of Libertyville-Chicago
Diocese	Diocese of New Gracanica - Midwestern America
Synod	Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church
Clergy
Bishop(s)	Vladika Longin
Priest(s)	Serge Veselinovich

The Saints Constantine and Helen Serbian Orthodox Church (Serbian: Цара Константина и Јелене Српске православне цркве) is a Serbian Orthodox church located in Galveston, Texas, United States. It is a parish of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of New Gracanica - Midwestern America.

History

The eastern orthodox community had existed in the port city of Galveston since 1861 as the parish of Saints Constantine and Helen.^[1][2][3] By the late 1800s a group of Serbs, Greeks, and Russians appealed to the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church in St. Petersburg, Russia, and Tsar Nicholas II for a church.^[1] The Tsar approved the establishment of a church and in 1895 construction began. The building was finished in 1896 and consecration took place on the feast day of Saint Constantine and Saint Helen.^[1] Tsar Nicholas II also personally donated icons for the Iconostasis, a gospel book, and a number of sacred vessels. The first priest assigned to the new church was Archimandrite Theoclitos (Triantafilides).^[3][4][5] Services were originally held in Greek, Russian and Serbian; however, in 1933 the Greek members of the church voted create a "daughter parish" of Sts. Constantine and Helen and operate it under the Greek Orthodox Church, naming their new church Assumption of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church.^[6][7][8]

Saints Constantine and Helen Serbian Orthodox Church was the first Serbian Orthodox church in the state and its parish is the oldest Orthodox parish in Texas.^[5] The church also holds the distinction of being the second oldest Serbian Orthodox church in the United States.^[5]

Notable clergy

Galveston native, Metropolitan Bishop Christopher Kovacevich of the Metropolitanate of Libertyville-Chicago, was born and raised as a member of Saints Constantine and Helen church.^[5] As an adult and Metropolitan, he would frequently return to the city and preside at church weddings and baptisms.^[9]

Gallery

• 
  Church altar

See also

• Serbian Orthodox Church
• Serbian American

References

External links

• "Diocese." Diocese of New Gracanica - Midwestern America.

Serbian Orthodox churches
Serbia	Church of Saint Sava St. Michael's Cathedral St. George, Banovo Brdo Ružica St. Mark's Church St. Basil of Ostrog St. Achillius, Arilje Peter's Church, Ras Cave Church, Lukovo Štava Church Odžaklija Kađenica Lazarica Church Church of St. George, Lukovo Church of Holy Ascension, Krupanj Saint George's Cathedral (Novi Sad) the Assumption, Zrenjanin Our Lady of Ljeviš* Church of the Virgin Hodegetria* Church of St. Elijah, Podujevo* Church of St. Nicholas, Prizren* Mala Gospojina Church* Christ the Saviour Cathedral, Pristina*
Montenegro	Cathedral of Podgorica Vlah Church
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Serbian Orthodox Cathedral in Sarajevo Old Orthodox Church in Sarajevo Church of the Holy Transfiguration, Sarajevo Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Banja Luka Church of St. George, Sopotnica Church of St. Nikola, Dobrelja Old Church of St. Nicholas, Javorani
Croatia	Church of the Holy Venerable Mother Parascheva Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord, Trpinja Church of St. Nicholas, Vukovar Church of Pentecost, Vinkovci Church of St. George, Kneževo Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, Negoslavci Church of Pentecost, Markušica Church of St. George, Bobota Church of St. Stephen, Borovo Church of the Nativity of the Virgin, Srijemske Laze Church of St. Peter and Paul, Bolman Church of St. Stefan Štiljanović, Karanac Church of St. Nicholas, Mirkovci Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, Gaboš Church of St. Nicholas, Jagodnjak Church of St. Demetrius, Dalj Serbian Orthodox Cathedral, Zagreb Church of St. George, Grubišno Polje Church of St. Nicholas, Karlovac Church of the Nativity of the Virgin, Drežnica Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, Štikada Church of St. George, Varaždin Church of the Holy Annunciation, Dubrovnik Orthodox Church in Knin Church of St. Peter and Paul, Tepljuh St. Spyridon Church, Peroj Church of St. Nicholas, Rijeka Church of St. Nicholas, Vrlika Orthodox church of Holy Salvation, Cetina
United Kingdom	Church of St Sava, Notting Hill, London Church of the Holy Prince Lazar, Birmingham Serbian Orthodox Church, Halifax St. Nicholas, West Wycombe
United States	Sts. Constantine and Helen Serbian Orthodox Church, USA Trinity Chapel Complex, USA Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Church (Jackson, California), USA Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Church (Merrillville, Indiana), USA St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Cathedral (Milwaukee, Wisconsin), USA
Other countries	St. Archangel Michael Serbian Orthodox Church (Toronto), Canada Sts. Cyril and Methodius Church, Slovenia Serbian Church in Arad, Romania St. Sava Church, Paris, France Saint Spyridon Church, Trieste, Italy Annunciation Church, Szentendre, Hungary Transfiguration Church, Szentendre, Hungary Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Church, Stockholm, Sweden
Notes	* indicate churches in Kosovo, which is the subject of a territorial dispute between Serbia and Kosovo.