Church Tour

The architectural design of the Saint Barbara Church is based on Byzantine themes found in churches built throughout the Mediterranean from AD 330 to the present. It replicates a village church with features distinctive to the Aegean Islands.

The Saint Barbara Church was designed to preserve a valued tie to the traditions of the past through the Church's historical design vocabulary. Creating an atmosphere which is special, the Church architecture inspires the feeling of joy and an appreciation of God's bounty. The Orthodox Church recognizes that beauty is an important dimension of human life.

Among Orthodox faithful, there is the very strong belief that the Church is the House of God and the place where His Spirit dwells. For this reason, all Orthodox churches are blessed, consecrated and set aside as sacred space. The interior of an Orthodox Church is designed to establish the mood for worship, for preaching the Gospel, and to elevate one's mind and heart to the God we came to praise.

Interior

Five distinct areas characterize the interior of an Orthodox Church. These include:

NARTHEX - The entry area. Here the faithful offer a brief prayer, light a candle and then venerate the Icon prior to joining the congregation.

NAVE - The area where the faithful gather to worship.

SOLEA - A slightly elevated floor area in front of the Icon Screen where the sacraments of the Orthodox Church are administered. The marble floor cover of the solea and altar areas was imported from the region of Levadia in central Greece.

ALTAR - Considered the most sacred area of the Church and reserved for clergy. The Holy Altar Table is located here. The Icon Screen or Iconostasion separates the altar from the nave of the Church and has existed in Orthodox Churches from ancient times. It reminds one of the curtain of Solomon's Temple which separated the sanctuary from the reminder of the Temple.

DOME - In Byzantine architectural theology, the lower portions of the Church represent the earthly world. Iconography *and stained glass representing saints, martyrs, and archangels rise in order of importance into heaven, represented by the dome.

The vertically oriented central interior space is the most characteristic feature of a Byzantine Church. The "dome on pendentives" (curved triangular support panels) is supported in turn by four arches over a square plan.

The dome of Saint Barbara is 20 feet in diameter and rises 35 feet from the floor.

High above the Church in the dome is the icon of Christ the Almighty. This icon is called the Pantocrator and portrays the Triumphant Christ who reigns as Lord of heaven and earth. As one looks upward, there is the feeling that all things direct us to Christ the Lord. He is the "Alpha and the Omega," the beginning and the end. This is the central message of Orthodoxy.

ICONS - An icon is a holy image. As such, it embodies spiritual values and is the distinctive art form of the Orthodox Church, occupying a prominent place in the theology and worship. The icon signifies the presence of the individual depicted and is used for inspiration and instruction. Icons are considered "windows" through which the faithful may gaze into the world beyond line and space, with the reassurance that this earthly pilgrimage is the beginning of another fuller life.

Behind the Holy Altar, is the curved altar apse which contains the icon of the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child. This prominent icon recalls her important role in the Incarnation of the Son of God and reminds us of our responsibility to give birth to Christ's presence in our lives. This icon is called the Platytera

Plaza

The Plaza, or platia, is a delightful gathering area designated as a common outdoor space for both the Church and the Orthodox Center. The area is characteristic of similar areas found in the Mediterranean regions. The stone that covers the plaza and the interior of much of the Church nave is Arizona flagstone quarried from a Navajo Indian reservation. The views from the plaza afford spectacular vistas of the Santa Inez Mountains, the rolling pastoral foothills, and the distant Pacific Ocean and Channel Islands.