St. Dimitrija Solunski Macedonian Orthodox Church, Markham, Ontario

Church in ON , Canada

43°52′55″N 79°15′41″W / 43.88204°N 79.26139°W / 43.88204; -79.26139Location201 Main St N
Markham, ON
L3P 1Y4Country

CanadaDenominationMacedonian Orthodox ChurchWebsitestdimitrijasolunski.comHistoryFounded1994AdministrationDioceseAmerican-CanadianClergyPastor(s)Rev. Stephan Gruevski

St. Dimitrija Solunski (Macedonian: Св. Димитриј Солунски), also known as St. Demetrius of Salonica, is a Macedonian Orthodox Church located in Markham, Ontario, Canada.

History

Before the church was built, a Macedonian organization in the Markham region existed since 1988. In 1989, the numbers of Macedonian Canadians grew large enough to support a church environment. Actions were put forth to gather enough financial resources with the aid of many Macedonian Canadians. Enough financial resources were gathered and a property was purchased in the year of 1993.

The existing building was demolished on May 15, 1994, and the new foundation was blessed by the Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia Michael, who was also the Prelate for the American-Canadian Macedonian Orthodox Diocese. On the 7th of August, 1994, the first holy liturgy was carried out in the newly built church.^[1]

In the church there is a women's auxiliary, a soccer team, a church choir, a Macedonian school with religious classes, a literary club, and a senior citizens club. Within the lower level of the church building there is a banquet hall. The church also participates in annual cultural events organized by the city of Markham.

The church has been recently featured in many Canadian newspapers, including the Toronto Star, for its magnificent Byzantine-style frescos and iconography painted by the Macedonian artist Georgi Danevski.^[2]^[3]

References

^ "Official Website of the American-Canadian Macedonian Orthodox Diocese". Archived from the original on 6 August 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
^ "Article in the Toronto Star". thestar.com. 6 April 2007. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
^ "Georgi Danevski". Georgi Danevski.