Vivios

2017 marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the first Greek Church in Richmond. The first documented Greek Orthodox Christian families arrived in Richmond in the mid-1890s.

Greek families congregating for fellowship and celebration of Church and Greek holidays decided to form a Church community in 1917. Originally located downtown, a 1957 fire destroyed this first sanctuary and the Church sold the land for redevelopment. By 1959 the Church acquired a new building site on Malvern Avenue and completed construction on the Cathedral of Saints Constantine and Helen in 1961.

This Vivlos (Bible) and eikon (icon) of Saint John were brought to Richmond by a Greek family as important items not only of their deep religious faith but as tangible connections to their roots.