Country United States Website www.stsophia.org Opened 1952 Phone +1 323-737-2424 | Denomination Greek Orthodox Status Active Capacity 2,000 | |
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Location 1324 South Normandie Avenue, Harvard Heights
Los Angeles, California Heritage designation Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #120 Address 1324 Normandie Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90006, USA Architectural styles Renaissance Revival architecture, Byzantine Revival architecture Similar Saint Sophia Cathedral, St Brendan Catholic, St Thomas the Apostle Catholic, St Basil Catholic Church, St Vincent de Paul Church | ||
Testimonial video saint sophia cathedral los angeles ca
Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral (in Greek: Ἁγία Σοφία, Hagia Sophia) is a Greek Orthodox church built in 1952, in what was then the Greek section of Central Los Angeles, California. It is located at West 15th Street and South Normandie Avenue in the present day Harvard Heights neighborhood.
Contents
- Testimonial video saint sophia cathedral los angeles ca
- History
- Architecture
- Congregation
- Notable members
- References
History
This Greek Orthodox church is the result of a Hollywood success story. When Charles Skouras and his brothers, Spyros Skouras and George Skouras, were still trying to get ahead in Hollywood, Charles made a vow to God that he would build the most majestic cathedral if God would grant him success in show business. He became head of Fox West Coast, so he built the Saint Sophia in Los Angeles.
In 2005 at the 36th Biennial Clergy-Laity Congress of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, the liturgy was given in Spanish, English, and Greek, with Orthodox children from a Tijuana, Mexico, orphanage providing music.
Architecture
The cathedral has a simplified Byzantine Revival—Renaissance Revival influenced exterior. The interior was designed with more decorative features.
Saint Sophia Cathedral is a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument.
Congregation
The cathedral still draws its predominantly Greek congregation of as many as 1,000 from perhaps a 60-mile radius – from throughout Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Los Angeles's Greek community has never been centralized, as in other cities such as New York City and Chicago.
Members of the church congregation have included Hollywood actors such as Telly Savalas, whose funeral was held there. Tom Apostle and Sharon Lawrence were married at the church in 2002.