Saints Constantine and Helen Serbian Orthodox Church, Serbian Orthodox Church in Galveston, United States.
Saints Constantine and Helen Serbian Orthodox Church is a church in Galveston, Texas, built in 1895–1896 for a parish of the Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of New Gračanica and Midwestern America. Its iconostasis holds icons, a gospel book and sacred vessels donated personally by Tsar Nicholas II. Archimandrite Theoclitos Triantafilides was the first priest assigned to the church.
An Orthodox parish existed in Galveston from 1861. In the late 1800s Serbs, Greeks and Russians appealed to the Holy Synod in St. Petersburg and to Tsar Nicholas II, who approved the church; construction ran from 1895 to 1896, and consecration fell on the feast of Saints Constantine and Helen. Nicholas II donated icons for the iconostasis, a gospel book and sacred vessels, and Archimandrite Theoclitos Triantafilides became the first priest. Services were held in Greek, Russian and Serbian until 1933, when the Greek members formed the Assumption of the Virgin Mary parish.
This church serves as a gathering place for Galveston's Serbian Orthodox community, where people come together to practice their traditions and pass them to younger generations. Visitors can hear Byzantine chanting and watch how the community conducts its liturgical practices.
The location is accessible by walking from the city center and offers regular services where you can visit the spaces inside. Keep in mind that this is an active place of worship, so respectful conduct is expected from visitors.
The parish, founded in 1861, is the oldest Orthodox parish in Texas, and the 1896 building is the second oldest Serbian Orthodox church in the United States. Tsar Nicholas II personally donated the iconostasis icons, a gospel book and sacred vessels; the first priest was Archimandrite Theoclitos Triantafilides.
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