History

History

Church community history timeline

The Holy Cross and Archangel Michael community has been around since the mid 1960s. Here is a brief history of our community.

A church committee was formed and met for the first time at the house of Panagiotis Papadopoulos. They had the support of Mr. Athenagoras Kokkinakis, the Metropolitan of Thyateira and Great Britain, who was also present. Their first task was to find a church premises for a Greek Orthodox community in Hendon and Barnet. Initially this community was called the Community of the Holy Cross.

Archimandrite Aristarchos Mavrakis becaome the first priest-in-charge of the church. He later became the Bishop of Zinoupolis at our church and played an important part and influence of our church in its later years. The first Divine Liturgical Services took place at Anglican Christ Church on Brent Street in Hendon. The community rented these premises for a couple of years.

St Michael was added to the Community title with the agreement of the Metropolitan of Thyateira and Great Britain. It became the Community of the Holy Cross and Archangel Michael and our church has kept this title until this very day.

The last Divine Liturgy took place in Christ Church on Brent Street.

The first Divine Liturgy occurred at the Holy Cross on Golders Green Road. The premises were rented and shared with the Anglican Christian community for ten years.

Our community took over the church permanently and Greek Orthodox services only took place. It was still leased from the Anglican church.

The Holy Cross and Archangel Michael community bought the freehold of the church, the church hall and its grounds.

The St Thekla Chapel, in the left ‘east’ aisle was consecrated in the presence of His Eminence, the late Archbishop Gregorios of Thyateira and Great Britain.

The Holy Cross and Archangel Michael cathedral was consecrated and sanctified in the presence of His Eminence, the late Archbishop Gregorios of Thyateira and Great Britain.

The St Helen’s Committee work began in 1966 and was set up formally as a committee in 1969. It was set up alongside the main Community Council to run the church’s charitable work and organise events. The Community would not have been able to function over the years without their important work. We are forever indebted to the many who have taken part in this Committee’s work and thank them for their service.

They have organised fundraising bazaars, have supported the events of the Holy Cross Greek School and run Christmas and New Year events (which have included the cutting of the ‘Vasilopitta’). They have also arranged teas and lunches in the hall for the parishioners after the Divine Liturgies on Sundays and on feast days.

Their charitable work has included visits to hospitals in collaboration with the priests, supported those less fortunate with food parcels and organised meals for our more senior parishioners.

The church was built in 1914 in Gothic style, by the Architect J.T Lee (of Tufnell Park). In 1925, in the original construction, two new parts were added. In 1960 a low turret was added as a bell tower.

The church is a masterpiece that combines high architecture with an artistic perspective. The amazing stained glass windows, the Gothic masonry and the Byzantine interventions create a scene in which alongside faith, prayer and worship it becomes clear that the church is the house of God.

The Holy Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Archangel Michael has three aisles, the central aisle and two lateral aisles. The left aisle, to the east, was converted during the Anglican years into a Chapel. This chapel was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, under the name Our Lady Chapel. In 1997, it was consecrated as an Orthodox Church and was dedicated to Agia Thekla.

The Hoché family sponsored the consecration of the St Thekla Chapel in memory of their parents. They also paid for the icon painter, Mr. Eleftherios Foulidis to paint the chapel.

Today, all the Divine Liturgies in English are held in the Chapel, which take place on the first or second Saturday of each month, from October to July. The Divine Liturgy on the saint day of Agia Thekla also takes place in the chapel.

References

Kavvadas, K, Kitromilidis, Ch., Greek Orthodox Community of the Holy Cross & Archangel Michael, Barnet (Hendon and surroundings): The Chronicle of a Fifty Years 1965-2015, Ed. Michaelangelo, London 2016.

Past Priests

Protopresbyter Vasileios Papathanasiou

2010 – 2023

Presbyter Savvas-David Vasileiadis

2016 – 2018

Archimandrite Benedictos Ioannou

2008 – 2009

Archimandrite Christodoulos Persopoulos

2008

Archimandrite Nektarios Spyrou (Now Bishop Nektarios of Kiti, Cyprus)

2005 -2008

Archimandrite Ioustinos Kefalouros

2003 – 2005

Father Spyridon Papa Gabriel

(Became an Archimandrite in 2022)

1988 – 2003

Protopresbyter Giorgios Kavvalos

1980 – 1988

Archimandrite Nektarios Skourtas

1976 – 1980

Archimandrite Nikiforos Tzifopoulos (Became the Metropolitan of Chios)

1972 – 1976

Archimandrite Chrisostomos Kouskoutopoulos

1969 – 1972

Archimandrite Parthenios Kirmitsis

1969

Archimandrite Aristarchos Mavrakis (Became the Bishop of Zinoupoleos)

1966 – 1969 & 1980 – 2002

History

History of the Holy Cross Greek School

School counsellors of the St Andrew Community School in Kentish Town, London set up a branch of that school in the Hendon area. This school branch first opened in the classrooms of an English school in Bell Lane, NW4.

The school started as a small branch with 11 students. But it soon began to grow with the tireless efforts of local volunteers. These volunteers visited every Greek home in the area and urged parents of preschool and school children to enrol their children in the newly established Hendon School.

With the Establishment of the Holy Cross Community, Hendon, the newly appointed Church Council took over the management and administration of this Hendon branch. It began to operate as the Holy Cross Greek School.

The Holy Cross Greek School began to grow. Many prominent Greeks of Greece and Cyprus passed through the School Governing Committee. Highly experienced teachers passed through the ranks of the Holy Cross Greek School, who kept the standards of the school at a high level, and it became a prominent North London Greek School.

The school experienced great growth. In 1969, a large influx of new students created the need for a Wembley branch. In 1973 and 1974, for the same reasons, a Kenton branch of the school operated. For many years the Ministries of Education of Greece and Cyprus supported the school with teaching staff.

The Holy Cross Greek School was very popular. During that decade more than 350 students and a total of 43 teachers passed through it. Accommodating the school was always an issue. Premises were almost always rented because at the time the Community Hall was not large enough to house all the classes. Over the years, the Greek School has been located in a number of locations in the neighbourhoods of Hendon, Kenton, Wembley and Mill Hill.

The school faced a number of challenges in this period and student numbers began to gradually decline. The headteachers and leadership team of the school made every effort to address these challenges and were successful in gaining support and recognition for the school.

The school continues to this day and has plans for growth under the sound leadership of the current headteacher, Eleni Lampeti. Today, the current cohort of students of the school is taught in this hall.

Source: Kavvadas, K., Kitromilidis, Ch., Greek Orthodox Community of the Holy Cross & Arch. Michael: The Chronicle of a Fifty Years, London 2015-2016 (Michaelangelo Publications)

The Holy Cross & Archangel Michael