Iconography

The temple of the Holy Trinity is the first Greek Orthodox Church founded in South Carolina and lies among the first twenty Greek Orthodox churches built in the United States. The first House of Worship was built in 1910 on St. Philip Street. In 1951, the foundations for the new church of the Holy Trinity were set on Road Street. It was completed in 1953 and it is the first church in the United States built in the authentic Byzantine style. Its floor plans derive from the Cathedral of Hagia Sophia, Constantinople (532-537 BC). The church was listed on the USA National Register of Historic Places in 2004. 

Most images and stained glass windows were crafted by the most famous hagiographer of modern Byzantine art, Fotis Kontoglou. These images probably make up the largest collection of Fotis Kontoglou’s work on the western hemisphere. In the church one can find works by Mr. Gliatas and Mr. Terzis, students of Mr. Fotis Kontoglou. Emanuel Tzirtzilakis, being one of the surviving students of Kontoglou, completed the dome in 2004, portraying God Almighty with his Heavenly Forces.

The painting in the Dome of the Church is quite spectacular upgrading the aesthetics of the Church, which is otherwise characterised by plain architectural lines. According to the US goverment expert's report (National Register document OMB NO. 1024-001, Section 7 Page 8) "The interior of this building is quite spectacular ... The most striking features of the interior of the church are the iconography painted on the walls and the ceiling of the dome ... some of it only recently accomplished.  For instance, the dome, which rises about fifty feet above the nave, is covered with iconography completed in as late as 2002."

The composition of Pantokrator consists of three parts. In the central point dominates the Almighty, the center of all. Around him a band of angelic hosts of various kinds, symbolizing the thousands upon thousands of angels surrounding Him. The composition ends with one more band of angels who are perpetually executing the Divine Liturgy.

The head of Pantokrator is considered the hardest part of all the byzantine murals to complete. The artist must be able to attribute a particular mood, with a thin nose and gentle features that exude compassion, love but at the same time rigor inspiring respect and awe in the parisioner.

The Divine Liturgy of Angels starts from the west side of Dome from the Tetramorph and directed North and South to the Christ High Priest on the East side. The Tetramorph consists of an Angel, a Bull, a Lion and an Eagle each one symbol of one the four Evangelists, holding all of them one Gospel.

Detail of the composition of the Divine Liturgy of Angels. The size of the Angels in the Liturgy zone is 3.5 meters and are 30 meters away from the viewer. The background at the bottom of the Angels is divided by a green band symbolizing the Earth, while the blue background symbolizes Heaven. The Angels are between Heaven and Earth, in indefinite place and time, symbolizing the eternal and omnipresent recurrence of the Divine Liturgy.

Detail of the composition of the Divine Liturgy of Angels. Angels moving cyclically end up in both sides in Christ which is the High Priest in the Divine Liturgy.

Detail of the composition of the Divine Liturgy of Angels showing the Epitaph.

Detail of the Angelic forces that surround the Almighty. 

Detail of the Angelic forces that surround the Almighty. Angels take different forms according to the scriptures.

Detail of the Angelic forces that surround the Almighty.

Detail of the Angelic forces that surround the Almighty.

Detail of the Angelic forces that surround the Almighty.

Detail of the Angelic forces that surround the Almighty.

Detail of the Angelic forces that surround the Almighty.

Detail of the Angelic forces that surround the Almighty.

Detail of the Angelic forces that surround the Almighty.

Detail of the Angelic forces that surround the Almighty.

Detail of the Angelic forces that surround the Almighty.

Detail of the Angelic forces that surround the Almighty.

View of the Dome during the works

Christ Anapeson, in this representation  is depicted as an infant just woke up having seen in a dream his future. This representation is traditionally depicted in the space over the main entrance.

Detail from the Christ Head. 

The Platytera with Christ, a representation that was painted before 1982 by another student of Fotis Kontoglou, was damaged during a hurricane. In 1999 we painted the face of Platytera that had been totally destroyed.

View of the Altar

Holy Hierarchs, Gregory and John Chrysostom

Detail from the Hierarchs, Gregory

Holy Hierarchs, Basil and Athanasius the Great

Detail from the Hierarchs, Basil the Great