Manifesto: Design. Build. Bless.
“Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build My house — that I may delight in it and be glorified,” saith the Lord. (Haggai 1:8)
1. Mission
In a world that often rushes past the sacred, I pause. I pause to listen, to pray, and to create. My mission is simple — to spread Orthodoxy across the earth by giving people places where heaven meets earth, where silence speaks, and where hearts are healed.
2. Spiritual Meaning
I build churches. Not just with stone and wood, but with awe, reverence, and conviction. Every Orthodox temple is a work of synergia — human hands working with divine grace. It is our return to Eden, our reaching back toward the lost state of cooperation with God.
I believe that the highest work of man is prayer. And the most visible fruit of that prayer is a church — a house of worship built not for the eye of man, but for the glory of God. That’s why even the hidden corners must be done right — because God sees all.
3. Core Values
My values are clear:
- I honor the canons of Orthodox architecture, the spiritual DNA of every temple.
- I innovate with reverence — using new ideas and technologies only if they serve the sacred form.
- I strive for excellence, not mediocrity. “Good enough” is never good enough for a house of God.
- I support any church-building effort with work, advice, and resources. My architecture is my mission.
- I seek justice and balance in every decision — from design to material choice, from budget to beauty.
4. Tradition
Orthodox tradition — Byzantine, Russian, Greek, Antiochian — all flow together. In America, I build among a mosaic of cultures, but never at the cost of truth. Every tradition is worthy of honor — until it crosses the line of Orthodox dogma.
Authenticity matters. But Orthodoxy is alive. Growth requires modern interpretations — so long as they stay within the bounds of faith and form.
5. Design
Each of my projects is a dialogue between heaven and earth, the client and the tradition, the context and the eternal. I never cut corners. I never “just get it done.” I design churches that make people proud — temples that make communities stronger.
For me, building means more than construction. It means spiritual formation. It means planting a seed of faith in soil that may never have known it before.
A good church supports prayer. A beautiful one inspires it. A great one transforms the person who enters.
Yes, architecture can heal the soul.
6. The Church
A church is not just a grand dome where hundreds gather. It can be a simple backyard chapel, a cemetery shrine, or a corner in a kitchen with an icon and a lamp. The temple begins in the heart. And from there, it grows.
So let it grow.
7. Message
I want the world to see: the Orthodox temple is not a relic — it is a path to rediscovering who we are.
I work with no borders. My mission is global. America, Africa, Europe, Asia — every human soul deserves a place to kneel, to weep, to be healed.
8. Context
Every temple I design reflects a unique world — its people, its soil, its sky. But in every one of them, the Orthodox faith shines with the same light, the same strength, the same silent joy.
9. Legacy
What will I leave behind?
Churches. Dozens of them. Big and small. Some for the world, some for one soul. One, quiet and intimate — made for one person to feel completely at home. Another, majestic and towering — a temple that overwhelms with its beauty and draws even strangers into the light.
10. 21st Century
Orthodox architecture in the 21st century must grow. It must breathe. It must engage technology, material, and new methods — without ever betraying the ancient truth.
Because the Orthodox church is not just open on Sunday mornings. It must be open always — open in spirit, in form, in space. A temple where the beauty of nature, the rhythm of light, and the whispers of prayer are always welcome.
Design. Build. Bless.
Because every soul deserves a piece of heaven — here, on earth.
— Aleksandr (Sasha) Molodin
Feel free to reach out if you’d like to discuss this Manifesto:
Email: avmolodin@gmail.com
Phone: +1(301)395-1515
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aleksandrmolodin/