Among all the saints of the Heavenly Kingdom, the Blessed Virgin Mary stands as the most exalted of all God's creatures.

Affirming all that is found in the Holy Scriptures and confirming the dogma and traditions of the Orthodox Church, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the monks on Athos, the Holy Mountain, and inscribed into the stone with his finger the hymn... 'Axion Esti'.

Through the Holy Messenger the Heavens proclaim that Mary is 'more honorable than the Cherubim and incomparably more glorious than the Seraphim' and affirm Her rightful title as... 'Theotokos', the mother of God.

Concomitant, the Virgin carries the epithet of Panagia, All Holy, as she is the ultimate vehicle by which the purpose of the deity and the will of man is expressed. As the great 14th century theologian Nicholas Cabasilas wrote:

The Incarnation was not only the work of the Father, of His Power and of His Spirit, but it was also the work of the free will and the faith of the Virgin. Just as God became incarnate voluntarily, so He wished that His Mother should bear Him freely and with her full consent.

"Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to your word" Luke 1: 38 Bishop Kallistos Ware eloquently explains that. ..'We honor the Mother on account of the Son ... The Fathers of the Council of Ephesus insisted on calling Mary, 'Theotokos', not because they desired to glorify her as an end in herself, apart from her Son, but because only by honoring Mary could they safegaurd a right doctrine of Christ's person. Anyone who thinks out the implications of that great phrase, 'The Logos was made flesh', cannot but feel a certain awe for her who was chosen as the instrument of so surpassing a mystery. When men refuse to honor Mary, only too often it is because they do not really believe in the Incarnation.' The chapel of the Dormition of the Mother of God is an expression of the devotion the community of St. John the Theologian has for our glorious Lady. The great Feast of the Dormition was chosen for the chapel because Christ, upon the cross, charged St. John with the care of His mother, and in this way our Cathedral becomes an icon of the love Christ has for His Mother.

When Jesus saw his mother, and the deciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" Then he said to the deciple, "Behold, your mother!" And from that hour the deciple took her to his own home.
John 19: 26-27

The Iconography

Utilizing the High-Palaeologan style of the 13th - 14th centuries, as found in the church of The Savior in Chora, at Constantinople, the central theme of the Dormition is placed behind the altar. Circumnavigating the chapel walls will be the 24 scenes represented in the AKATHIST HYMN. Tradition places the authorship of the Hymn to Patriarch Germanos I (715 - 730 A.D.) in the honor of the Virgin Mary whose intervention saved the city of Constantinople from siege. The first part of the long poem is historical, as it expounds upon beliefs connected with the Incarnation of the Lord, and in the second part the poet deals with the salvation of believers in Him.

In the dome, the Christ Pantocrator is placed. The entire span of the murals are bordered with decorative motifs and accented with gold leaf.

All the iconography is executed in the traditional Byzantine technique of tempera or secco, as was used from the 12th century. This method achieves the ecclesiastical deepness and richness of color so characteristic of Byzantine art from the Palaeologan era. Additionally, these time-tested methods have proven their durability over the centuries in the less than favorable environments of monastries and churches, which experienced drastic changes in temperature and moisture.

Three stained glass widows complete the chapel iconography. Again, in the Palaeologan style, the Virgin Hodegeteria and the Virgin Eleousa flank the icon of the Dormition on the altar wall, and the Virgin of the Sign is placed over the entrance to the chapel.

The Iconostasis

In the tradition of the early Church, the iconostasis is three feet in height, and constructed of marble. Within the royal doors two icons are placed: The Virgin with Child surrounded by the prophets who foretold of the Virgin Birth; and Christ enthroned surrounded by His geneal-ogy. Both in the Palaeologan style using the vine motif.

The Artisans

STEFAN KALOUDOV
Iconographer, architect, conservator, preservationist and restorer, are only a few of the titles the accomplished artisian can claim with distinction. Educated and trained for 12 years through the School of Fine Arts and the Academy of Fine Arts in Sofia, Bulgaria, he received his Masters Degree in Fine Arts in 1984, having studied under the great Iconographer Nicolai Rostovtchev (1910-1991)

TANYA ANASTASSOVA
Also a Master's graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Sofia (1990), brings her sensitive artistic mastery of mural painting and iconography into breathtaking harmony.

Their remarkable talent extends through a spectrum of artistic mediums including: stained glass; icon painting; fresco and secco mural painting; sculpture; mosaic; ceramics; architectural and graphic design; and calligraphy.

Major exhibits of Mr. Kaloudov's and Ms. Anastassova's works have been held throughout Bulgaria, Greece, Canada and the United States. Permanent works can be found in Bulgaria, St. John's Newfoundland, Montreal and in private collections throughout Europe, Asia, Canada, South America and the United States.