Which Hollywood stars profess Orthodoxy? Transfiguration Cathedral in Los Angeles

The Crystal Temple in Los Angeles has been sold under the hammer.

Description

Since the end of the 20th century, the world has been dominated by the trend of building temples, the grandeur of the architecture of which amazes the imagination. The traditional vision of the cathedral fades into the background, giving way to modernist ideas.

Unique architecture

The main example of such majestic architectural structures is the Protestant Crystal Cathedral (now Christ Cathedral) in the small town of Garden Grove near Hollywood. The building, designed by Philip Johnson in 1980, is a real flight of engineering: 12 floors, more 12,000 rectangular glass blocks and a 77-meter bell tower, the spire of which cuts through the clouds. Mirror glass panels act as windows and regulate the internal climate of the building depending on the weather and time of year. Under the control of a special computer program, the blocks can open and close by tilting at a certain angle. The Crystal Cathedral itself is built in the shape of a four-pointed star, the height of which is 39 meters.

Show more

Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels, Los Angeles, USA

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels

While traveling around California, we wanted to spend more time in various museums in San Francisco and Los Angeles. In Los Angeles, my husband and I spent two days at the Getty Museum, and at the end of the second day, my friend suggested that we go see the new cathedral, “which is unlike any other cathedral in the world that we have seen so far.” Her words certainly intrigued us. And off we went.

From the hill on which the cathedral is located there was a beautiful view of the city. For this alone you should come here. Yes, the building is unusual, but interesting. Entering the building, we found ourselves in a cool, comfortable environment, conducive to leaving worldly affairs at the door and thinking about the eternal.

The Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels is a Roman Catholic cathedral and the main church of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Its parishioners are about 4 million Catholics. The cathedral was opened in 2002.

The decision to build was made after the Cathedral of St. Viviana was destroyed by an earthquake in 1994. St. Viviana's Cathedral was built in 1840, but soon became too small for the rapidly growing Los Angeles area. They were going to build a new cathedral in 1904, but the economic recession prevented it. In 1940, they again started talking about building a cathedral in which 3,000 people could be seated, and even Rome approved the name - “Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.” But the archbishop died, and his successor decided that the church needed schools more, and donated the money collected to the cathedral to finance their construction.

In January 1994, an earthquake severely damaged the Cathedral of St. Viviana, and it was forced to close for safety reasons. The diocese announced that a new cathedral would be built on the site of St. Viviana's, with the existing cathedral to be demolished. After this, a battle began between the archdiocese and restorers, who argued that the cathedral was a landmark of the city. Therefore, it must either be restored or somehow included in the new cathedral. The archdiocese considered that it would not be possible to raise the amount needed to restore the cathedral. Therefore, they decided to build a new cathedral in a different place.

The building was designed by the Spanish architect José Rafael Moneo Valdez using elements of postmodern architecture. A special feature of the building is the absence of right angles - only sharp or obtuse.

The cathedral was named in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the patronal name “Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels”. Los Angeles was founded by Spanish missionaries and was originally called El Pueblo de Nuestra Señorala Reinade los Ángeles "The City of Our Lady Queen of Angels."

The length of the cathedral is 101 m, and the height ranges from 24 to 30 m. At the same time, it can accommodate more than 3,000 believers.

The cathedral's bronze chandeliers also have speakers built into them.

The cathedral's organ is the 143rd largest in the world, with 6,019 pipes, using 1,929 pipes from the organ of the Cathedral of St. Viviana. The height of the organ is 18 meters and it is raised 7.3 meters above the floor level. The organ is protected from earthquakes, for which it is supported by a massive steel frame.

Inside the cathedral there is a spring with holy water. A sign warns against throwing coins.

In the chapel next to the mausoleum is the tomb of St. Viviana, moved here from the destroyed Cathedral.

Artist John Nava, author of tapestries

The Cathedral is decorated with tapestries by the artist John Nava. By order of the architects, the artist completed a series of 25 tapestries “Communion of the Saints”. One of the conditions of this commission was the desire for the images to be as diverse as the Los Angeles community. Therefore, the tapestries depict representatives of the white race, Hispanics and blacks.

The mausoleum contains stained glass windows that were formerly located in St. Viviana's Cathedral.

Under the temple there is a mausoleum, there are 1270 crypts and a columbarium with 4746 burial niches. There, anyone can purchase a burial place. Proceeds from the sale of seats go to a charitable fund for the financial stability of the cathedral. For example, actor Gregory Peck is buried in this cathedral.

When designing a church or cathedral, great importance is always paid to the entrance doors, which are traditionally considered a bridge between the past and the present. The doors of this cathedral were made by sculptor Robert Graham. The doors are made of copper and cost $3 million. Robert Graham soon died and was buried in the cathedral mausoleum.

In the small public garden next to the cathedral there are various sculptural compositions. Some of them are related to the biblical story. It’s nice to take a walk here and just relax from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Entrance to the cathedral is free.

There are several fountains in the courtyard. There is an interesting fountain at the entrance to the territory; on the marble disk it is written, among other things, in Russian: “I will give you living water.”

The cathedral was criticized after its construction, both for its deviation from traditional architecture and for the high cost of its construction. They said there was no need for a church of that size and the money could be spent on social programs. The cathedral cost 189.7 million dollars. I read that it was called “Taj Mahony” and “Roj Mahal” due to the high cost of construction, since the decision to build the cathedral in this architectural style was made by Archbishop Roger Mahoney.

Be that as it may, the cathedral was built, it has long become a favorite place in the city and its landmark. Tourists come here not only from other cities in America, but from all over the world. I personally really liked the cathedral. Having traveled a lot around the world, I noticed that the most interesting thing for me, when I come to some old city founded in ancient times, is to find and examine the cultural layers that were left by the inhabitants of the city in different eras. Therefore, it seems to me that this unusual cathedral is a worthy monument to our 21st century.

“Many of our parish work at film studios - they are both directors and actors. And before, in our parish there were also many actors who took an active part in church life,” shares the priest. Among his most famous “spiritual” children were Tom Hanks, James Belushi, Jennifer Aniston and others.

James Belushi

American actor, comedian, singer and musician James Belushi is of Albanian origin. He immigrated to the USA at the age of 16. As an Orthodox Albanian, he regularly attends the Serbian Orthodox Church parish in Los Angeles. His children Jamison Bess and Jared James are also being raised in the Orthodox tradition.

Christian Bale

The star of the popular films “Batman” and “Terminator”, an Oscar winner, converted to Orthodoxy in 2000, after his wedding with Sandra “Sibi” Blazic (she is from Serbia). Their daughter Emmeline was baptized in the Orthodox Church of Los Angeles.

Jennifer Aniston

Unlike many of her colleagues, Jennifer Aniston was raised in an Orthodox family from childhood. Her father is Yanis Anasakis, an Orthodox Christian from Greek Crete. The actress is a parishioner of the Transfiguration Church, which belongs to the Patriarchate of Constantinople. According to Aniston's recollections, her family always celebrated Christmas on January 7th, and there was always kutia and pies on the table.

Tom Hanks

As in the previous case, Tom Hanks decided to convert to Orthodoxy after the wedding. His second wife, Rita Wilson, is of Bulgarian-Greek descent. The actor explains his decision this way: “When you come to the decision in your life that you need to get married and have children, it is important at this stage to decide on the spiritual heritage of your future family.” The actor admits that he and his family rarely go to church.

Emir Kusturica

The famous Yugoslav film director Emir Kusturica converted to Orthodoxy in 2006. He was baptized with the name Nemanja in the Savina Monastery near Herceg Novi.

Kusturica was born in Sarajevo into a Muslim Serb family, several of whom were forced to convert to Islam during Turkish rule. However, the director himself said in an interview that in his family special attention was paid to the fact that his ancestors were Orthodox Serbs. The director decided to restore historical justice and abandoned Islam in favor of Orthodoxy.

Bob Marley

It’s hard to believe, but the father of reggae and the most famous Rastoman in the world converted to Orthodoxy shortly before his death. In May 1980, he was baptized into the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Kingston and took the name Berhane Sellasie (Amharic for Light of the Holy Trinity).

Jonathan Jackson

In 2012, the 39th annual Daytime Emmy Awards took place in Los Angeles, celebrating the best programs on US daytime television.

Among the recipients was a Hollywood actor Jonathan Jackson, who won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his role in General Hospital.

When the winner was announced and Jackson came out to receive the award, he shocked everyone present and the millions of television viewers watching the show. The actor made the sign of the cross and confessed his faith in the Holy Trinity, and also thanked the monks of Holy Mount Athos, “who pray for the whole world.”

Jonathan Jackson was born into an Adventist family, but about two years ago he converted to Orthodoxy with his family. According to the actor, “he wanted to be with those who do not say a lot of words, but give priority to prayer.”

Church history knows many schismatics, and recently words about the Orthodox totalitarian consciousness have been increasingly heard: in many churches today you can meet people condemning the clergy and calling for disobedience to pastors. “Elder so-and-so blessed us” - and then it varies - . It is difficult to talk with such people: they have a prepared answer for every argument, and as soon as the conversation goes deeper and further, the interlocutor returns to the stereotyped phrases: “The elders did not bless.” Starting with local parish problems, these problems grow into a situation .

What is the reason for the emergence of such a totalitarian worldview among people? Is a person sick, does he fall under someone’s strong charisma, do phobias manifest themselves in such behavior—we addressed these questions to the clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church. We continue to publish the opinions of the clergy on this topic and today we introduce readers to surprisingly apt and deep words Priest Alexy Chumakov, rector of the Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos in Los Angeles, clergyman of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad..

Father Alexy, it happens that an ordinary parishioner begins to strenuously refer to the opinion of the “elders” or “elder N.” After some time, it turns out that she burned her passport. Then she appears in a strange company of friends in three headscarves and authoritatively declares that accepting passports is a sin, that Ivan the Terrible is a saint, and that we live in times of the apocalypse, and that we need to settle closer to Diveevo. To all the objections and references to the social concept of the Church, it is said that people accepted all this, that grace could have departed from them...

— I serve in a church located very far from Russia, and for us this kind of parishioners is a rarity. Probably because you can’t reach us without a passport. In addition, the degree of desocialization of such believers, their fear of the outside world, is unlikely to allow them to lead any normal life outside the specifically Russian temple subculture.

Those cases that are known to me personally (and not from discussions with colleagues or from the Internet) are not so radical in their manifestations. However, the essence remains the same - the replacement of true Christian life with a ritual, a pious fairy tale, an imaginary world. This fictional world is comfortable in its own way, there are external enemies in it, and there is a conviction in the correctness of one’s path that is very comforting for human pride. In essence, this is an attempt to avoid fulfilling the Commandments of God, to replace internal work with external appearance and clothing. The work of cultivating one’s conscience and mind, strengthening and training one’s will (in order to evade evil and do good) can be replaced by a falsely understood “obedience” to the elder, which relieves a person of responsibility for his actions. The relationship of unhealthy codependency that arises from this hardly resembles the proper love and respect for the teacher of faith and mentor of piety, which an experienced confessor should be.

— What do you see as the reason for the emergence in the church environment of sentiments of opposition to the hierarchy, the preference for the conciliar opinion of the Church for the opinions of unknown elders? Is it the case that a charismatic leader emerges that people listen to more, or does this have some kind of psychiatric basis?

Pride in life, as one of the foundations of the fallen world, can disguise itself well, pretending to be zeal for faith and piety. The fruits of this kind of false piety (“enmity, strife, envy, anger, strife, discord, (temptations), heresies, hatred... and the like”) are opposite to the fruits of the Spirit, which are “love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, charity, faith, meekness, self-control" (Gal. 5:19-23)

It seems that the main reason for this kind of sentiment partly lies in the rapidity with which post-Soviet society began to “church.” To paraphrase a well-known American proverb, you can take the student from the school, but you cannot take the school from the student, in other words, people who come to the Church en masse do not always change. Most modern church diseases, in my opinion, are growing pains, diseases brought in from the outside world and which have not yet found healing.

In such an environment, it is natural for leaders of a different type, charismatic, to appear, and it is no coincidence that different intra-church groups conflict with each other. Of course, there is a psychiatric component here too, and it seems to me that a kind of selection occurs when believers of a certain spiritual disposition gravitate towards those who can find the key to their disorder and give what their soul is looking for. Unfortunately, this most often turns out not to be Christ.

— How can you characterize this problem from a spiritual point of view? Is this pride? Lack of faith?

Pride is primary here, but on the surface it is “natural religiosity,” the same religiosity that forced the ancients to deify heroes and erect altars and temples in various revered places. This is a craving for the divine, for the highest, which was “lost on the way”, has not reached Christ, has not learned to pray, does not know the Gospel and does not strive to fulfill the commandments of God. One can even say more sharply: this kind of religiosity is more dangerous than direct and honest disbelief, because the non-believer has hope for a meeting, insight and conversion. Passion for miracles, “women’s fables,” the use of “elders” as oracles, etc. imprisons the believer in a world of fantasy and it is difficult for such a person to reach the most important thing, to Christ. There is simply no need for this.

— One of the most frequent arguments given by such “sectarians” is references to entire heretical councils and heretical patriarchs. What can be answered to such an argument?

We need to think about what makes some Councils true and others not. In the history of the Church, there were also Councils that, by all indications, were conceived as Ecumenical (for example, the council nicknamed by the Orthodox “Robbery of Ephesus”), so one must look for the criterion of truth, the basis that gives the council authority.

For Catholics, for example, such a basis is the approval of the Pope. We cannot resort to such arguments, knowing that even participation in the actions of the Council of Glorified Saints does not automatically make its decisions true - the famous “Stoglav” can be called an example.

In addition, dozens of various local Councils are known that did not leave any lasting acts.

So a more correct way would be to consider the controversial issue on the merits, basing conclusions on references to Scripture and Tradition, the words and deeds of the Holy Fathers, and those councils that St. Fathers were recognized as authoritative. After such consideration, we can refer to the unanimous and conciliar opinion of the recent Council of Bishops, as being in agreement with the immutable Church Tradition. By the way, this is a good general rule - do not appeal to your rank or other external authority, but speak to the essence of the matter.
After all, in the final analysis, the Orthodox Council is the one that approved the truth. We must first of all seek it, and it will make us free in Christ, to which God calls all people.

— Is it possible to have a discussion with such people? What to do if a person does not make contact and is in a state resembling hypnotism?

My experience of this kind of communication is small, only a few people, but, indeed, there is some kind of captivity of the mind and will. Discussion is sometimes possible, but usually fruitless. The religion of this kind of people resembles a kind of hut, a hut made of branches stuck in the sand, without any foundation. If you pull out one or two of these “branches” during an argument, most likely it will all collapse and the person will not become Orthodox as a result, but will simply lose his faith. And more often it happens that even before that, the person living in this mental “hut” will attack you and your authority in his eyes will become zero...

Therefore, in my opinion, here we must begin with the foundation, with Christ, with the Gospel, trying to ignore all the nonsense that so occupies the deluded and draw his attention to the real content of the Christian faith. Maybe it will be possible to convince him in time to leave his hut and enter the Church building. This is a difficult process that requires patience and prayer, and even then with an unknown outcome. Anyone who has had to talk with a mentally ill person knows how difficult it is to help him.

— What should the rector of the temple do if such sentiments arise in the parish? Denounce it publicly and thereby attract increased attention, make endless attempts to denounce it in private, ignore the problem? Is such a person allowed to receive Communion?

In a parish situation, one has to take into account the possibility that such psychotic religiosity, or, more simply, “prelest,” is contagious and its spread must be prevented in every possible way. For example, resolutely, although without publicity, remove books and brochures with unhealthy content from sale in the church store.

Under no circumstances should the disease be allowed to grow latently and poison more and more new parishioners. As for direct reproof, this should be avoided if possible. In my opinion, this will only lead to a deepening of the problem, even if it removes trust in the priest from the surface and, therefore, the opportunity to help the person will be lost. People of this type usually see the world in black and white and learn to ignore everything that does not agree with their picture of the world.
We can help such people only by awakening in them an interest in Christianity through preaching and conversations about the Gospel, about church history (which knows many examples of very similar temptations, including more than one “end of the world”), and most importantly, by convincing them of the need to prepare for Communion and confession, the need to learn how to pray correctly. Of course, there can be no general recipes here; nothing can replace live human communication and participation, and without “locking in” to the personality of the priest. It is very important to be “transparent”, not to obscure Christ.

— What if such statements can be heard from the rector of the temple or the ruling bishop?

If this happens, it is unfortunate, of course, and most likely it will soon lead to separation into a sect or schism. The congregation of such a lost shepherd does not always have the opportunity to influence him. Probably, maximum openness and honesty of discussions in this case is the key to ensuring that many followers do not become involved in the schism. It seems that the duty of the hierarchy in this case is to stop the temptation and remove the lost shepherd.

— Are there similar cases in your diocese? How do you solve these problems?

Thank God no. Our Church Abroad is small, everyone knows each other, and the clergy and bishops are very accessible - anyone can call and, without any secretaries or intermediaries, talk to the bishop, the dean, and the rector. In addition, the clergy regularly gather for pastoral meetings and congregations where it is easy to discuss all pressing issues in an informal setting. Problems, of course, arise from time to time, but we try to solve them in a timely manner so that they do not get worse.

— What do you think about the problem of Penza hermits?

I read about them on the Internet, and I don’t quite understand why they are somehow related to Orthodoxy. This is a strange apocalyptic sect, of which there have been many in Russian history.

— What should be taken, what measures can be effective in such cases?

Personally, I think that they should have been left alone, or even helped to improve the cave and make it safe, it would have required no more money than a months-long siege. People decided to sit in a ravine underground and wait for the end of the world, let them sit whoever it bothers. In the United States, from time to time, high-profile scandals and tragedies associated with sects of various kinds also arise, but government intervention usually only leads to large casualties. This is not so much a question of religion as of power - whether the authorities can allow the existence of something unauthorized. One way or another, police measures cannot prevent the recurrence of such cases. However, government agencies can also be understood, because we are also talking about children who, against their will, find themselves in a dangerous situation. Unfortunately, there are no simple answers here.

In Los Angeles there is often no need to build sets for films. The scenery here is nature itself, streets and buildings. There is even a temple in the city, which, according to legend passed down from mouth to mouth for many decades, was built in the 1920s specifically for the filming of a Russian film. The film was shot, the filmmakers left, but the church remained and was donated to the parish. Her current rector said that few people outside Orthodox Los Angeles know about her, the prayed-up beauty. Even today, almost 100 years later, filmmakers rent parking at the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary. These are local realities that you quickly get used to here.

Los Angeles (more often called “LA” for short, or the City of Angels) is the center of Greater Los Angeles with a population of over 17 million people, the largest city in California and the second largest in the country.

Indians lived on its coastal territories in the 16th century, then the Spaniards arrived, and since the 1920s, the aviation industry began to develop rapidly in Los Angeles and film studios opened.

Los Angeles is home to more than 140 countries speaking at least 224 languages. An important and colorful element of Los Angeles culture is its numerous ethnic neighborhoods: Chinese, Korean, Thai, Philippine, Little Armenia, Tehrangeles, Little Ethiopia.

More than 100 thousand Russians live in the city, ranking 5th in number after the Germans, Irish, British and Italians.

Los Angeles is not at all what it is shown in the movies. It is also famous for its Christian history

Immigrants from the former USSR live in different areas and suburbs of Los Angeles, but most of them are in West Hollywood, one of the largest of the 80 areas of Greater Los Angeles. Considering the size of the metropolis, this is very close to the famous symbol of the city. Russian-language press is published here, tours of artists from Russia and the countries of the former USSR are organized, Russian shops and restaurants are concentrated here. And, of course, Russian Orthodox churches.

Despite all this diversity, or perhaps because of it, the City of Angels fascinates some, but for others it becomes one of the biggest disappointments from visiting the United States. Because the city - the main film factory of the country and the world - is not at all the same as it is shown in films, cartoons and TV series.

In any case, if anyone thinks that all that Los Angeles is famous for is only the famous film studios, actors who can be met right on the streets and the Hollywood Walk of Fame, then I hasten to please you: this city is also famous for its rich Christian history representing different Orthodox jurisdictions and traditions. There are three Russian Orthodox churches here, and they are located precisely in the western part of the metropolis and in Hollywood, and their rectors, although approximately, can be attributed to representatives of three generations - both in age and in time of moving to the USA: older, middle and junior. So let's start.

The idea of ​​creating a temple appeared in 1929. An initiative group of Russian immigrants - including officers of the White Army and Cossacks - collected 50 dollars, with which they organized the arrival of Archpriest Nikolai Kiklovich from Harbin, who served the first Liturgy for the believers on May 13, 1930.

For several years, services were held in temporary premises. In 1935, fundraising began to purchase a building for the church, and in 1937 the church building was purchased. Using voluntary donations from parishioners, the temple was restored, and on October 17, 1937 it was consecrated in honor.

With the North American Metropolis declaring its independence at the end of 1946, some parishioners remained faithful to the Church Abroad. In this regard, in 1948–1949, the church building became the subject of a legal dispute over property between the Church Abroad and the Metropolis, which ended in favor of the former.

“A large influx of emigrants was observed in Los Angeles after the Second World War, when refugees began to arrive here from Europe and the Far East,” says the rector of the cathedral. – At the same time, a Russian school was created at the temple, in which 140 students are now studying.

Father Alexander himself was born in Austria, in a refugee camp near Salzburg. In 1951, his parents, through the Church World Service agency, managed to move to America, for which they, people with higher education, had to work for three years on a farm.

Over the decades, little seems to have changed. Subsequent waves of immigrants did not escape a similar fate. After his parents' divorce, Alexander and his mother moved to Los Angeles. There he entered a four-year parochial school at the Transfiguration Church.

“So I’ve been associated with the parish for 63 years, and I’ve been serving as a priest here for 35 years,” Father Alexander continues the story. “It wasn’t easy to live in Los Angeles back then.” The old emigration, who came here after the First World War, did not trust those who arrived from the USSR after the Second World War. My mother’s father, Arseny Vasilyevich Romashko, although he was from a new emigration, was able to overcome this mistrust, and he was elected head of the parish.

Beginning in the 1950s, the parish began planning the construction of a large cathedral. The established Society of Zealots collected money for 30 years, and in 1979 construction began on a new stone temple. When half of the work was completed in 1982, services began in the temple. The temple then still stood without domes, and the local population did not always know which denomination it belonged to.

Now the three-altar cathedral is decorated with 10 domes, in the iconostasis there are 130 icons

Now the three-altar cathedral is decorated with 10 domes, and the iconostasis contains 130 icons painted by the icon painter and regent from San Francisco Vladimir Krasovsky.

“In the 1990s, Russian Orthodox Christians began to come to Los Angeles—the third wave of emigration,” says Father Alexander. - Many people became churchgoers. Now our parish consists of all these groups, as well as Greeks, Serbs, Romanians and Americans who converted to Orthodoxy from other denominations.

Officially, there are 80 members of the parish. Newcomers from the former CIS countries, as representatives of the early waves of immigration say, do not want to join the parish - they are not used to it. And this picture is observed throughout Orthodox America.

They serve in the Transfiguration Church mainly in Church Slavonic; they hardly use English. Those who wish to pray in English can go to neighboring churches - Intercession or Holy Mother of God, where Liturgies are served in two languages. That’s why the rectors joke that in Los Angeles there are three churches, but there is, as it were, one parish!

Since the 1930s, the Society for Aid to Russian Children has been operating at the cathedral.

The Transfiguration Cathedral itself annually hosts youth congresses of the Western American Diocese and singing congresses. In the summer, young parishioners go to scout camp. Since the 1930s, the cathedral has had a Society for Helping Russian Children, which raises money for orphanages and for children who need surgery - the parishioners of the cathedral pay for them to come to the USA, treatment, and for their parents to stay during the operation and rehabilitation. The temple also operates a fund to help those in need. According to Father Alexander, a church is not only a place where services are held, but also a center of social and charitable activities.

In the 1960s the parish experienced division. In 1963, a group of his former parishioners bought a place on Argyle Avenue in Hollywood and established another large parish - Pokrovsky.

At the foot of the Hollywood Hills: Church of the Intercession

This temple is right in Hollywood itself, next to the Walk of Fame, at the foot of the Hollywood Hills, where numerous stars live: cinema, television, sports. Many Armenians and Russians also settled here, most of whom are not connected with the film industry.

The Church of the Intercession is the closest to the “Hollywood” inscription, which appeared in the summer of 1923 on the slope of Mount Lee above the Californian hills. It was originally written as "Hollywoodland", had nothing to do with the movie and meant advertising a new residential area, but immediately began to attract the attention of tourists.

The word “Hollywoodland” was illuminated with electric lights at night, and during the day the white letters were visible from a 40-kilometer distance. It was supposed to advertise “Hollywoodland” for a year and a half, but the inscription remained in place.

In 1949, the inscription was repaired and the last four letters were removed. By that time, Hollywood, which originally meant the name of the area, had already become a symbol of Los Angeles and the entire entertainment industry.

The foundation of the Intercession Parish was laid on June 16, 1952 with the blessing of the second First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, Metropolitan Anastasy (Gribanovsky). The parish's first church was established in a building at 150 S. Alexandria Ave. But by 1964, many new parishioners had joined the parish, and the church building could no longer accommodate all the worshipers, so in September 1964 it was decided to quickly find a more suitable premises. This is how the Old Catholic Church on Argyle Avenue was acquired.

The great consecration of the renovated temple took place on July 4, 1965. The temple was consecrated by Metropolitan Philaret (Voznesensky) - First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, St. John (Maximovich) - now the illustrious Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco - and Bishop Savva (Sarachevich) of Edmonton from Canada.

A Sunday school, a cultural and educational center, and a large church hall were set up at the temple.

From 1967 to 2000, the parish was cared for by Bishop Alexander (Mileant) - one of those few who followed the covenant of Christ the Savior: “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). It is difficult to count the number of Orthodox brochures on a wide variety of topics that Bishop Alexander and his assistants sent around the world, including Russia.

Bishop Alexander (at that time Bishop of Buenos Aires and South America) died on the night of September 12, the day of his heavenly patron, the blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky. Answers from the point of view of Orthodoxy to almost many questions, from apologetics to simple life problems, can be found on the still existing website of Bishop Alexander: www.fatheralexander.org.

The shrines of the temple - six reliquaries with relics and the vestments of St. John of Shanghai - ironically ended up in a schismatic parish that did not agree to reunite with the Church in the Fatherland 10 years ago. Since that time, there has been a tradition among parishioners to collect shrines for the temple.

The current rector of the Church of the Intercession, Archpriest Viktor Tseshkovsky, has been serving at the throne of God for 36 years, and if they call him a “Soviet priest,” he is not offended.

“A Soviet priest is a special priest, so I don’t take this name as an insult,” Father Victor smiles. – In Brezhnev’s times, a priest had to be able to outwit the Commissioner for Religious Affairs so that he would write in his reports that “everything is calm” on his territory. The Church had to be preserved with all our might and means so that it could survive the “quiet persecution.”

“I wouldn’t want Orthodoxy to be considered something alien to Hollywood: Orthodox life is going on here.”

Father Victor himself has been in the church since childhood. All five sons in the parental family became priests. My sister is married to a priest, my nephews are also priests. All served in the Crimean and Dnepropetrovsk dioceses. Then Father Victor was assigned to his first foreign parish - a newly opened church in Sweden, then there was St. Nicholas Church in San Francisco, a parish in Canada where a Ukrainian priest was needed; St. Nicholas Patriarchal Cathedral in New York. There were parishes near Milan, in Spain, on the Canary Islands. After the reunification of the Russian Church in 2007, Father Victor was offered to serve in the Russian Church Abroad. Over the past 10 years, these have been the New Root Hermitage near New York, a temple in Brooklyn, and now the Church of the Intercession in the Western American Diocese - in Hollywood.

“I wouldn’t want people to consider Orthodoxy as something alien to Hollywood, incompatible with it,” says Father Victor. “There is an Orthodox life of its own here.” Our parish is well-equipped and active. Hollywood parishioners are Russian artists, directors, athletes, creative intelligentsia, ordinary newcomers, Russian-speaking people from various parts of the former Soviet Union. On Sundays we serve two Liturgies: an American priest serves in English, followed by a Liturgy in Slavic. Up to 200 people receive communion at both services. I have an idea to organize a children’s studio at my arrival: there are good specialists, talented children too.

“If there are a lot of cars in the church parking lot on a weekday, it means that a movie is being filmed somewhere nearby: the film administration rents our parking lot, and in the parking lot you can see cars belonging to Hollywood stars,” says Archpriest Nazariy Polatayko, rector of the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos. – The bus picks up the team and takes them to the set.

So this temple is the most Hollywood, but it is a temple. And it is this temple that is Hollywood’s biggest secret.

“No one in the church disturbs our parishioners who come to pray, and therefore everyone feels comfortable,” continues Father Nazariy. “People are so used to seeing faces that regularly appear on the screen that no one runs and asks for an autograph. The most important thing is that our parish is a prayer meeting: people pray here, not hang out. Many parishioners themselves work in the film industry: they are producers, composers, screenwriters, musicians. And even when the prayer is over and the lunch that our sisterhood prepares begins, everyone in the hall drinks coffee together, communicates, but there is no rush - no one grabs the phone to take a selfie!

The Holy Mother of God parish was founded in 1923 by a group of Russian immigrants who dedicated it to the Mother of God and her icon “Seeking the Lost.” Numerous shrines are kept here: a piece of the Holy Cross of the Lord; an icon with a piece of his mantle and an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, consecrated by Saint Father John himself; the relics of the Great Martyr Panteleimon, the blessed princes Alexander Nevsky and Daniel of Moscow, the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, Saints Theophan the Recluse and Joasaph of Belgorod, Innocent of Moscow, John of Shanghai and Tikhon, the Patriarch of Moscow, the Venerable Ambrose of Optina, the new martyrs Grand Duchess Elizabeth and nun Barbara. The Tikhvin Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was painted on Holy Mount Athos, a gift to the passion-bearer Tsar Nicholas II. And in 2015, copies of two miraculous icons were brought from the Holy Mountain to the temple: the Vatopedi icon from the monastery of the same name and the “Quick to Hear” from Dokhiar.

There is an icon in the temple that belonged to the composer Sergei Rachmaninov. In the church hall is his piano

Parishioners of the temple were Counts Golitsyn and Volkonsky, composer Sergei Rachmaninov, American actress Natalie Wood and our compatriots from the film and television industry.

Old parishioners left behind the image of “Joy to All Who Sorrow” and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. There is an icon in the temple that belonged to the composer Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov. In the church hall there is his own piano, which is still used for its intended purpose, “participating” in concerts of church and choral music.

“The Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine blessed me to go to this church, when he was still the Metropolitan of Chernivtsi and Bukovina,” says Father Nazariy. “I was happy with my parish in Canada, but a bilingual priest was needed here. Among our parishioners there are people who do not know Russian at all - Americans of Irish and Chinese origin, and there are those who speak little English - these are Ukrainians and Moldovans who came here to work.

When I arrived, as an artist, I immediately appreciated how beautiful the temple was. It was made with love and taste. It smells of antiquity, imbued with prayer and experience. One of my predecessors said that “incense flows out of the walls.”

The church has an active liturgical life for North America. At least one Liturgy must be served on weekdays. On Easter there is no end in sight for people in the yard. The procession of the cross takes place around the block, and when the clergy has already entered the front gate of the temple, the parishioners completing the procession are just leaving it. The church yard at Easter is always an extension of the temple.

There are two schools at the temple: Saturday and Sunday. Saturday school is a Russian school teaching the Russian language, the history of Russia, the Church, the Law of God, and literature. All lessons begin with prayer in the temple and last from 10:00 to 15:00. Then - a common meal. Children are from 5 to 16 years old, teachers are professionals from the former USSR. The school, as an educational one, gives a certificate for entering the university.

Sunday school is held for children every second Sunday, and religious lessons are taught in English.

There is a youth club for adults on Tuesdays. This is the most active and attended event. The circle’s classes begin with the singing of an akathist before the icon of the Mother of God “Seeking the Lost” in two languages.

“On the first Tuesday of the month we watch and discuss movies,” says Father Nazariy. – It happens that the authors of films are our own parishioners. On the second Tuesday we invite a lecturer. This could be a priest from an Orthodox church of any jurisdiction or a theologian. We have no shortage of lecturers: the local university has a faculty of religious studies. We can also arrange a video conference.

On the third Tuesday of the month there are Bible studies. And on the last Tuesday, the rector gives lectures on iconology and explains how to learn to understand the language of the icon.

“Every second Thursday we serve a prayer service and hold an evening of questions and answers,” continues Father Nazariy.

Father Nazariy is from Chernivtsi, from an artist’s family. From childhood he remembers how his father, chairman of the Union of Regional Artists, collected icons. But he didn’t show them off: the icons were kept in the children’s room, and Nazariy and his brother grew up contemplating the holy images. But the great-grandmother had “functional” icons - she prayed in front of them, it was for her, according to Father Nazarius, “the window of her conversations with the Mother of God.” In elementary school, the Gospel fell into his hands, and after his grandmother’s stories, he began to pray - in his own words.

“Nobody took me to church, although the family celebrated Christmas and Easter,” recalls Father Nazariy. “When I was fifteen, I wanted to go to a temple, although I had gone to churches before, but as if I were going to a museum. And that time I went to church for the first time to pray: there was no spiritual need, I just felt a call.

At that time I was an ordinary teenager, interested in philosophy and modern art. Many years later, when I was already studying at the seminary, I realized that throughout my childhood I lived among icons. I looked at the icons, and they looked at me, and in a way unknown to me, the Lord God worked out a plan of salvation for me. Since then I have never left the temple.

In the early 1990s, Father Nazariy ended up in Canada, where he became even closer to church life. – Once I was asked to paint an icon for a temple. And when I sat down to paint an icon for the first time in my life, I realized that I didn’t understand how to do it. In my homeland, I graduated from an art college, but we were not taught icon painting. I was a secular artist, and the icon for me was one of the forms of art. And then I graduated from seminary in English, then received a bachelor's degree in theology. I was ordained a deacon. He defended his Ph.D. thesis at the Kyiv Theological Academy, served as a protodeacon in Ottawa, and then, with the blessing of Metropolitan Onufry, transferred to the American Orthodox Church and became rector of this Church of the Most Holy Theotokos.

When talking about Orthodoxy in Los Angeles, one cannot fail to mention the parish sisterhood of the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos - the heiress of the Ladies' Society, which was organized by the mother of one of the first rectors - Father Pavel Razumov; and about the famous clergyman - Archpriest Dimitri Ghisetti, a relative of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II: Father Dimitri served as rector here from 1957 to 1979; and about our contemporary - composer and musician of Russian origin John (Ioann) Sokolov, who grew up at the Transfiguration Cathedral and fell asleep as a child to the music of Rachmaninov, and now gathers huge audiences with his piano works, turning even parish halls into concert halls where gatherings are held funds for the maintenance of local Orthodox churches. But all this is a completely different story. Because Los Angeles is not only the City of Angels, but also a city of specific people; The world is not only cinematic, but also the world of the real destinies of our compatriots.