Holy Theophany Orthodox Church
Byzantine-style church serves the Orthodox faithful in Colorado Springs
Holy Theophany Orthodox Church
✟ Christian (Orthodox) | Colorado Springs, CO
Located at 2770 N. Chestnut St., this Orthodox church, built in a twelfth-century Byzantine style, is known for its large golden dome. The congregation was founded in 1974 as Saints Constantine and Helen Orthodox Church. While liturgical services were originally held at the Air Force Academy by Orthodox chaplains, the first official service took place on September 8, 1974, the Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos (“God-bearer”), which inaugurates the Orthodox liturgical year. Less than a year later, the congregation acquired an acre of land on North Chestnut Street, and a building campaign was begun. Ground-breaking occurred in late 1977, and nine months later, the building was complete—the first Orthodox Christian Temple in Colorado Springs. Great Vespers was held on Saturday, July 22, 1978, followed by Divine Liturgy the next morning.
Like many Orthodox churches, Holy Theophany is home to dozens of stunning icons. As Timothy Ware explains in his book The Orthodox Church, an icon is “a religious picture designed to arouse appropriate emotions in the beholder.” But it’s more than that: “it is one of the ways whereby God is revealed to man. Through icons the Orthodox Christian receives a vision of the spiritual world” (p.214). A description of Holy Theophany’s icons may be found in this 471-page guide. They include depictions of biblical scenes and parables, saints, and other stories from Christian tradition.
Source: Holy Theophany Orthodox Church
Tour date: April 18, 2024
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