Malbis Memorial Church, Byzantine Revival church building in Alabama, United States.
Malbis Memorial Church is a church building with Byzantine Revival architecture in Alabama, featuring marble interiors, detailed mosaics, and soaring domes. The interior displays elaborate religious mosaics across walls and ceilings, while colored light filters through the curved windows.
Jason Malbis, a Greek immigrant born Antonios Markopoulos, founded Malbis Plantation near Daphne in 1906 and died in 1942 leaving written instructions to build a Greek Orthodox church for him. The community carried this out in 1965, financing construction through the sale of the plantation's bakery on Broad Street in Mobile under president Sam George Papas. The church was dedicated on January 3, 1965, with an opening service by Archbishop Iakovos of America, and Malbis's remains were interred in a crypt to the right of the iconostasis.
The church is named for Jason Malbis, born Antonios Markopoulos in Doumena, Greece, who spent his early life in a monastery before emigrating. It has never had an active congregation, yet weddings and special services are held here, and his remains lie in a crypt to the right of the iconostasis.
The church stands in Malbis, a short drive east of Daphne off US Highway 98 in Baldwin County. It has never had an active congregation, so there are no regular weekly services; religious observances, special services and weddings take place instead. Check ahead before travelling, since opening depends on those events rather than fixed visiting hours.
Jason Malbis, born Antonios Markopoulos, spent the first half of his life in a monastery before emigrating to Chicago around 1900. He died in Greece in 1942, leaving written instructions to build a Greek Orthodox church for him at Malbis. His remains lie in a crypt inside the church, to the right of the iconostasis.
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