Golden domes whisper history’s heartbeat on American soil. In Stratford,…
Golden domes whisper history’s heartbeat on American soil. In Stratford, Connecticut — the “city of Sikorsky” — the St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church stands as a lasting symbol of faith and heritage. Founded in 1929 by émigrés from Igor Sikorsky’s
A cathedral born of empire and faith. Saint Isaac’s Cathedral…
A cathedral born of empire and faith. Saint Isaac’s Cathedral in Saint Petersburg isn’t just a church — it’s a revelation carved in granite and gilded in light. Built between 1818 and 1858 by Auguste de Montferrand under Tsar Nicholas I,
Inside Out: A Church That Glows From Within I’ve long…
Inside Out: A Church That Glows From Within I’ve long toyed with the idea of turning a church inside out. What if the sacred mystery we usually hide behind stone walls could shine through for everyone to see? Orthodox churches have
A doctor buries mistakes, an architect plants ivy. That old…
A doctor buries mistakes, an architect plants ivy. That old student joke came rushing back to me today with almost cruel clarity. After spending the day in Kansas City walking a potential site for a new Orthodox church design, I stopped
This sacred space holds a story that had to be…
This sacred space holds a story that had to be told. For the past few months, I’ve been completely wrapped up in a true labor of love: writing a book on the profound heritage of St. Tikhon, timed to honor the
What if the tallest Orthodox church almost stood? Back in…
What if the tallest Orthodox church almost stood? Back in 1986, in what was then Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg), a massive TV tower began to rise—sharp, raw, and reaching 235 meters into the sky. But time ran out before the project
Think you’ve seen it all in Orthodox church design? Then…
Think you’ve seen it all in Orthodox church design? Then let me take you to the banks of the Seine, where something bold, beautiful, and unmistakably sacred rises over Paris. Opened in 2016, the Holy Trinity Cathedral isn’t just a
What do you really know about canonical church form-making? Ever…
What do you really know about canonical church form-making? Ever heard of a church nicknamed “Kulich and Paskha”? That’s what the locals called this breathtaking ensemble the moment it was built in 1785—and the name stuck like honey to sweet
They Built a Log Church in Antarctica—Like a Giant Lego…
They Built a Log Church in Antarctica—Like a Giant Lego Set Yes, a real wooden church. In Antarctica. Not a hut, not a module—but a hand-crafted log chapel, hauled across the planet and assembled like sacred Lego on the icy edge
A church too powerful for memory alone. That’s how locals…
A church too powerful for memory alone. That’s how locals remembered the Russian Memorial Church in San Stefano—now a ghost of stone and silence in the dusty annals of Istanbul. On a bright morning in 1914, a deafening boom tore through the