Greek Orthodox Church, Joubert Park

Plaques

The white walled church was designed by Hermann Kallenbach who was a close friend and admirer of Mahatma Gandhi. (Kallenbach lived in the same house and donated a farm to Gandhi). The church was required by the growing population of Greeks who had moved to Yeoville and Berea in the 19th century.[1] The community took six years to raise the £3,300 for the building led by the Ladies Benevolent Association, Archimandrite Nicodemos Sarikas[2] and Archimandrite Athanasios Nicolopoulos.[3]

Kallenbach created a church in the Byzantine style[3] in 1912 for the Greek community with a number of different roof levels which were not designed to be at the same angle. These complement the large three-storey high dome which is painted blue on the inside.[1] The new building opened on 5 January 1913. The cathedral is dedicated to the emperor Saint Constantine and his wife Saint Helen.[3]

Today the Greek congregation is reducing and the congregation are now drawn from a much wider area with this being one of three Greek Orthodox churches in the city. The church is a South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) protected site.[1]