From Russian Orthodox Cathedral, London
Information for Visitors
Orthodoxy in Britain
Welcome to the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God and All Saints, one of the main places of Orthodox worship in London. This church is the cathedral of the diocese of Sourozh, which is a diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church (Patriarchate of Moscow) covering the British Isles. The Russian Orthodox Church belongs to the worldwide communion of Orthodox Churches, which profess the Apostolic faith as articulated by the ecumenical councils of the undivided Church.
Whilst the major Orthodox Churches are found in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, today Orthodox Christians are spread throughout the world and there are few countries without an Orthodox presence. In Britain, the Orthodox collectively form the third largest Christian community, having some 250,000 members. Most of the local Orthodox Churches are represented, principally the Greek Orthodox Church (Ecumenical Patriarchate), but also the Russian, Serbian, Romanian, Bulgarian and Antiochian Churches.
At first sight, Orthodoxy can appear as something exotic, a purely Eastern form of Christianity. In fact, it is a universal faith, with deep roots in this land, which was once part of a truly “ecumenical” Christian fellowship embracing both East and West. The Orthodox Church thus recognises herself in the faith and life of the British and Irish Churches of the first millenium and venerates their saints: Alban the First Martyr, Patrick of Ireland, David of Wales, Ninian of Whithorn, Cuthbert and Aidan of Lindisfarne, Brigid of Kildare, Hilda of Whitby, Dunstan of Canterbury - to name but a few of this cloud of witnesses. You will find their icon in the church.
The Cathedral Parish
This parish originated in 1716 as the chapel of the Russian Embassy. In 1923 it moved to St. Philip’s Church, Buckingham Palace Road, and then in 1956 to this church (formerly the Anglican parish church of All Saints, a daughter church of St Margaret’s, Westminster). With the help of many friends, we were able to purchase the building in 1979. Built in 1849 by Lewis Vulliamy, it is modelled on the eleventh century basilica of San Zeno Maggiore in Verona. The West front was rebuilt in 1892 by Harrison Townsend. Particularly noteworthy is the decoration above the tall arches executed by Heywood Sumner in sgraffito, a technique in which a superficial layer of plaster is cut away to reveal underlying colours. Above the arch over the east end of the cathedral is the figure of Christ on the Cross, with the four evangelists represented by their symbols. At the west end are six circular designs indicating the six days of Creation. The murals along the upper parts of the walls of the nave depict biblical scenes and saints, among them St Margaret, the patron saint of the original mother parish church.
The building was easily adapted for Orthodox worship. The Royal (central) Doors of the icon screen in front of the altar were rescued from the chapel of the Russian embassy in London after the revolution of 1917. The icons on the screen were painted at various times by three students of the celebrated Russian iconographer Leonid Ouspensky. Many of the other icons around the cathedral are the gifts of families.
Today the parish community is made up of people of diverse national origins, principally Russians and British, united by a common faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Consequently, our services are conducted in both Church Slavonic and English. The principal services are the Vigil (consisting of Vespers and Matins) on Saturday evening (5.00 pm) and the Divine Liturgy (the Eucharist) on Sunday morning (10.30 am). This pattern is repeated on feast days; times of services may be found in the monthly newsletter and in the annual timetable (available on request at the candle desk).
Liturgy and Worship
You will notice immediately that there are no pews in the church. In general, they are not favoured by the Orthodox because we feel it is appropriate to pray standing in the presence of God and pews restrict the freedom and spontaneity of worship. If you find it difficult to stand throughout the service it is quite acceptable to sit (it is, however, customary to stand for the reading of the Gospel and during the consecration of the Holy Gifts at the Divine Liturgy).
The icon screen (iconostasis) that delineates the sanctuary has a twofold significance. It reminds us of the fact that we are pilgrims on the way to the kingdom of heaven and that this must be the basic purpose of our lives in this world. Equally, the icons of Christ and the saints turned toward us proclaim the good news that, in Christ, our fallen human nature is already redeemed and taken up into the life of heaven: “Christ has entered, ..., into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf” (Heb. 9, 24). Thus, the iconostasis does not separate heaven and earth, the sanctuary and the nave, but rather unites them.
The general structure of the Liturgy will be familiar to Western Christians. It consists of psalms, Epistle and Gospel readings, the Creed and the prayer of consecration, followed by the Lord’s prayer and the Communion. The Liturgy takes the form of a dialogue between celebrant and people, in which the function of the choir is to give voice to the prayer of the congregation. Intercessory prayer, in the form of litanies chanted by a deacon to which the choir responds “Lord, have mercy” or “Grant this, O Lord”, occupies a prominent place. In the Orthodox tradition, services are always sung without musical accompaniment, as the human voice is felt to be the fittest instrument for the praise of God.
Although Holy Communion is reserved to Orthodox Christians who are duly prepared, there are many ways in which all “who enter in faith, reverence, and in the fear of God” can participate in worship. Firstly, by being quietly open to the presence of God in this holy place and by attending to the words and actions of the services. English translations of the services may be bought at the bookstore or borrowed from the back of the church, but may we suggest that you study them before or after the service; there is much that may be missed if one is absorbed in the printed text.
You will see people lighting candles; this is done in honour of Christ and His Saints, whose invisible presences are manifested by the icons. Likewise, the icons are censed during the services, as are the people. This is done in reverence to the image of God which abides in each of us. Small bread rolls (prosfora) are offered at the Liturgy with the names of those, living and departed, for whom we wish to pray. These are taken to the offertory table in the sanctuary, where the priest removes a small portion and places it on the paten next to the bread which is to be consecrated, praying for those for whom it is offered. The prosfora are then taken to the back of the church where they are collected after the service by those who have offered them. At the end of the Liturgy, everyone is invited to come and venerate the Cross and to receive a small piece of prosfora as a sign of Christian fellowship. On Sundays, tea is served in the parish hall after the Liturgy and you are most welcome to join us. At the Vigil service, all who wish may come to venerate the Book of the Gospels and to receive a blessing, and on Great Feasts, there is also an anointing with oil (Ps. 23, 5) and a distribution of blessed bread and wine.
Further Information
Further information on Orthodoxy may be found in the shop, which is open after the Sunday Liturgy. The shop also stocks icons and crosses and recordings of church music by various choirs, including our own. The best way, however, to learn about Orthodox Christianity is simply to come and see. If you live outside London, there may well be an Orthodox community near you - a list of the parishes of the Diocese of Sourozh is available here, while the list of the Diocesan Clergy is here. Information on all Orthodox churches may be found in the Directory of Orthodox Parishes and Clergy in the British Isles, on sale in the shop.
We hope that you will enjoy your visit to this church. Be assured that we are glad to share our faith and our church life with you; if no one has approached you, it is not because we are unfriendly, but because we respect your privacy. If you have questions which are not covered in this article, then press here.
