Malbis Memorial Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Malbis Memorial Church |
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| Sacred Patriarchal and Stavropegial Monastery of the Presentation of Theotokos | |
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| 30°39′7″N 87°51′4″W / 30.65194°N 87.85111°W | |
| Location | Malbis, Alabama |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Greek Orthodox |
| History | |
| Dedication | Presentation of the Theotokos |
| Dedicated | January 3, 1965 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Frederick C. Woods |
| Style | Byzantine Revival |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Brick, Limestone, Marble |
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Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage
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| Designated | November 30, 1977 |
The Malbis Memorial Church, also known by its longer name, the Sacred Patriarchal and Stavropegial Monastery of the Presentation of Theotokos, is a Greek Orthodox Church. You can find it in Malbis, which is in Baldwin County, Alabama.
This church is special because it's one of only about six Greek Orthodox churches in Alabama. It doesn't report to the main Greek Orthodox group in America. Instead, it's directly under the authority of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, which is like the main leader for many Greek Orthodox churches around the world. The church is famous for its beautiful and detailed mosaics and paintings. It was officially opened on January 3, 1965. Even though it doesn't have a regular group of people who attend every week, it's used for special religious events, services, and even weddings. The church was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage on November 30, 1977.
A Special Church in Alabama
How the Church Began
The story of the Malbis Memorial Church starts with a man named Jason Malbis. He was a Greek immigrant who founded the Malbis Plantation. Jason Malbis was born Antonios Markopoulos and spent the first half of his life in a monastery. Around 1900, he moved to Chicago.
While in Chicago, he changed his name to Malbis. He then traveled across the country with a friend, William Papageorge. They were looking for a place to start a Greek community. In 1906, they bought 120 acres of land near Daphne, Alabama. This land became the beginning of Malbis Plantation.
More Greek families joined Jason and Papageorge. They began building the plantation in an area that was mostly thick woods. In 1909, they bought another 600 acres. By 1920, the community had grown to 85 people. The group was able to support themselves by farming the land. They eventually had their own power plant, a dairy, a cannery, a bank, and even a motel. They also owned more than 10,000 acres of property.
Jason Malbis passed away in 1942 while visiting Greece. He had left clear instructions for his community. He wanted them to "build a Greek Orthodox church for me in Malbis." The community made his wish come true in 1965. The money for building the church came from selling the plantation's bakery in Mobile. After the church was finished, Jason Malbis was buried inside, in a special room to the right of the iconostasis.
The Church's Amazing Design
The Malbis Memorial Church was designed in the Byzantine Revival style. This means it looks like old churches from the Byzantine Empire. The design was created by Frederick C. Woods and Associates from Mobile. The church is built from brick, limestone, and marble. Its shape was inspired by the Church of Ayia Paraskevi in Athens, Greece.
The church is shaped like a cross, which is called a cruciform plan. It has domed towers on either side of the front entrance. This entrance has a stone arcade, which is like a covered walkway with arches. This porch has three sets of entrance doors. Above these doors are arched mosaics of Theotokos (Mary, the mother of Jesus), Jesus, and Saint Paul.
Above the arcade are arched windows and more mosaic panels. These mosaics show Saints John, Luke, Mark, and Matthew. The very top of the front has a triangular section called a pediment. This pediment is covered in a mosaic of the Dove of Peace. All the mosaics on the outside were made by an Italian artist named Sirio Tonelli. He made them in his workshop in Pietrasanta and then shipped them to Malbis to be put in place.
Inside the church, almost every surface is covered with hand-painted iconography. This means there are many religious paintings. A Greek artist named Spyros Tziouvaras and his two helpers, Haralambos and Chris Tziouvaras, did this work. The large dome above the center of the church is very special. It has a painting of the Pantocrator (Jesus as "The Almighty"). The Tziouvaras team painted this while lying on a scaffold 75 feet above the floor!
The main part of the church, called the nave, has beautiful red marble Corinthian columns and flat columns called pilasters. The iconostasis (a screen with icons that separates the altar), the bishop's throne (the bishop's special chair), and the pulpit (a raised stand for sermons) are all made of white Pentelic marble.
In 1979, a big storm called Hurricane Frederic caused damage to many of the detailed paintings inside the church, especially those in the dome. After several attempts to fix them didn't work, an artist from the Mobile area named David Riall was hired. He used careful research and experiments to make sure his repairs matched the original artwork perfectly.
