St George Macedonian Orthodox Church | |
---|---|
Македонска Православна Црква „Св. Ѓорѓи“ Makedonska Pravoslavna Crkva „Sveti Ǵorǵi“ | |
Location in
greater metropolitan Melbourne | |
37°48′24″S 144°58′42″E / 37.80670°S 144.97839°E | |
Location | 52-54 Young St, Fitzroy, Melbourne, Victoria |
Country | Australia |
Denomination | Macedonian Orthodox |
History | |
Status | Church |
Dedication | Saint George |
Consecrated | 1960 |
Architecture | |
Functional status | Closed |
Architect(s) | Wystan Widdows |
Architectural type | Church |
Groundbreaking | 1959 |
Administration | |
Diocese | Macedonian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand |
St George Macedonian Orthodox Church ( Macedonian: Македонска Православна Црква „Св. Ѓорѓи“, Makedonska Pravoslavna Crkva „Sveti Ǵorǵi“) was a Macedonian Orthodox church located in Fitzroy, a suburb of inner Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. [1] Completed in 1959, St George was the first independent [2] Macedonian Orthodox church built within Australia and outside of North Macedonia. [3] [4] [5]
In the early period of Macedonian immigration, Macedonians lacked their own churches in Australia and went to different Orthodox churches ( Russian, Syrian, Greek, Serbian) or to churches from other Christian denominations ( Methodist, Anglican). [6] In Melbourne, Saints Cyril and Methodius was formed in 1950 as a Macedonian church and placed under a Bulgarian bishop. [2] [6] Its priests were from the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in Bulgaria and members of the congregation held concerns about "interference" in their church by consular officials from Greece. [6] At the time, the church itself emerged as a centre for the Macedonian community. [6] Some Macedonian activists were not in favour of the situation as they preferred a Macedonian church that was independent and not attached to Bulgaria. [6] It motivated a small group of Macedonians to seek to form an independent church presence. [6]
From 1955 onward, Macedonian immigrants in Melbourne from the Florina area (in northwestern Greece) led efforts to establish St George as the first Australia-based independent [2] [6] Autocephalous Macedonian Orthodox Church. [7] [2] [8] Notable Macedonians involved in the initiative were Atanas and Done Filipov, Dane Trpkov, Stojan Srbinov, Risto Altin and Vančo Nedelkovski. [9] A Church Committee made up of elected members was established in May 1956 and its first president was Vasil Mojanov. [10] Over a period of two years, funds were raised and a plot of land was purchased on Young Street, in the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, home to many immigrants from southern Europe. [11]
In Victoria, Vasil Mojanov maintained cordial relations with the local Anglican Church leadership and some politicians, and those efforts assisted with the founding of St George Church. [12] At first, the church was intended to be under the local Anglican Church. [2] In Yugoslavia, the Macedonian Orthodox Church became autonomous in 1959 and the Melbourne Church Committee asked Macedonian church leaders to join and were later accepted as its first parish abroad. [2] [6] In Melbourne, the Fitzroy Municipal Council stated that no Macedonian Orthodox Church organisation existed and withdrew the permit to build a church. [2] [6] The St George Church Committee took the matter to the Australian courts and won their right to construct a church in the Victorian Supreme Court. [2] The church was registered in 1959. [2]
On 2 August 1959, Fitzroy mayor J. B. Blackman laid the church foundation stone which was blessed by Father George Haydar from the Syrian Orthodox Church in Melbourne. [9] [5] On 2 August 1960, the church was officially opened after its consecration by the Bishop Naum of Zletovo-Strumica (Diocese of Macedonia), his deputy Father Nestor Popovski along with Father Ǵorǵi Angelovski. [9] [2] [13] A large number of Macedonians were present at the consecration ceremony till evening. [9] The gathered crowd expressed emotions of joy, especially as they were able to freely state being Macedonian. [14] The first priest of St George was Father Ǵorǵi Angelovski. [9] Annually during Easter celebrations, the Macedonian community would circle the church three times. [15]
The establishment of St George was a pivotal moment that initiated the unitary religious and social life of the Macedonian Australian community and asserted their existence in the country. [16] [17] Being the first Macedonian church within Australia, there were various reactions to the move. [16] The Australian-based Bulgarian, Serbian and Greek churches engaged in a vigorous and public campaign opposing the Macedonians. [16] [18] Bulgarian, Serbian and Greek newspapers called into question Macedonian existence with terms such as "pseudo-bishops", "pseudo-Macedonian church" and "pseudo-Macedonians". [16]
News of the church reached other Macedonian Australian communities, the Macedonian American and Canadian communities and Yugoslav Macedonia. [16] Two years after St George opened, the Macedonian American community followed the precedent by building their own church which became the second Macedonian church outside Macedonia. [16] The establishment of St George prompted Macedonian communities of Australia to construct their own churches. [16]
At St George Church, the adoption of a democratic constitution by the elected Church Committee governed its actions and decisions which gave it the authority to appoint and dismiss priests without a bishop's approval. [19] Disputes emerged over control of St George with the Macedonian Orthodox Church in Yugoslavia. [19] St George Church did not follow the diocesan constitution which stipulated the influence of the Metropolitan for Australia over Church Committees and to own the titles of church properties. [19] The metropolitan attempted to limit membership of the St George Church Committee to citizens from Yugoslavia during the 1960s - early 1970s. [19] The dispute between the Macedonian Orthodox Church and St George Church continued without a resolution in the mid-1970s. [19] Some other Macedonian Orthodox churches built in Australia after St George also adopted its model of church administration. [19]
In the mid 1990s, the church was subjected to an attempted arson attack. [3]
The church was sold, and large parts of the Macedonian community did not favour the move. [15] The site was redeveloped and is now home to urban residents, with the bell tower being one of the remaining features of the former church. [15]
St George Macedonian Orthodox Church | |
---|---|
Македонска Православна Црква „Св. Ѓорѓи“ Makedonska Pravoslavna Crkva „Sveti Ǵorǵi“ | |
Location in
greater metropolitan Melbourne | |
37°48′24″S 144°58′42″E / 37.80670°S 144.97839°E | |
Location | 52-54 Young St, Fitzroy, Melbourne, Victoria |
Country | Australia |
Denomination | Macedonian Orthodox |
History | |
Status | Church |
Dedication | Saint George |
Consecrated | 1960 |
Architecture | |
Functional status | Closed |
Architect(s) | Wystan Widdows |
Architectural type | Church |
Groundbreaking | 1959 |
Administration | |
Diocese | Macedonian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand |
St George Macedonian Orthodox Church ( Macedonian: Македонска Православна Црква „Св. Ѓорѓи“, Makedonska Pravoslavna Crkva „Sveti Ǵorǵi“) was a Macedonian Orthodox church located in Fitzroy, a suburb of inner Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. [1] Completed in 1959, St George was the first independent [2] Macedonian Orthodox church built within Australia and outside of North Macedonia. [3] [4] [5]
In the early period of Macedonian immigration, Macedonians lacked their own churches in Australia and went to different Orthodox churches ( Russian, Syrian, Greek, Serbian) or to churches from other Christian denominations ( Methodist, Anglican). [6] In Melbourne, Saints Cyril and Methodius was formed in 1950 as a Macedonian church and placed under a Bulgarian bishop. [2] [6] Its priests were from the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in Bulgaria and members of the congregation held concerns about "interference" in their church by consular officials from Greece. [6] At the time, the church itself emerged as a centre for the Macedonian community. [6] Some Macedonian activists were not in favour of the situation as they preferred a Macedonian church that was independent and not attached to Bulgaria. [6] It motivated a small group of Macedonians to seek to form an independent church presence. [6]
From 1955 onward, Macedonian immigrants in Melbourne from the Florina area (in northwestern Greece) led efforts to establish St George as the first Australia-based independent [2] [6] Autocephalous Macedonian Orthodox Church. [7] [2] [8] Notable Macedonians involved in the initiative were Atanas and Done Filipov, Dane Trpkov, Stojan Srbinov, Risto Altin and Vančo Nedelkovski. [9] A Church Committee made up of elected members was established in May 1956 and its first president was Vasil Mojanov. [10] Over a period of two years, funds were raised and a plot of land was purchased on Young Street, in the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, home to many immigrants from southern Europe. [11]
In Victoria, Vasil Mojanov maintained cordial relations with the local Anglican Church leadership and some politicians, and those efforts assisted with the founding of St George Church. [12] At first, the church was intended to be under the local Anglican Church. [2] In Yugoslavia, the Macedonian Orthodox Church became autonomous in 1959 and the Melbourne Church Committee asked Macedonian church leaders to join and were later accepted as its first parish abroad. [2] [6] In Melbourne, the Fitzroy Municipal Council stated that no Macedonian Orthodox Church organisation existed and withdrew the permit to build a church. [2] [6] The St George Church Committee took the matter to the Australian courts and won their right to construct a church in the Victorian Supreme Court. [2] The church was registered in 1959. [2]
On 2 August 1959, Fitzroy mayor J. B. Blackman laid the church foundation stone which was blessed by Father George Haydar from the Syrian Orthodox Church in Melbourne. [9] [5] On 2 August 1960, the church was officially opened after its consecration by the Bishop Naum of Zletovo-Strumica (Diocese of Macedonia), his deputy Father Nestor Popovski along with Father Ǵorǵi Angelovski. [9] [2] [13] A large number of Macedonians were present at the consecration ceremony till evening. [9] The gathered crowd expressed emotions of joy, especially as they were able to freely state being Macedonian. [14] The first priest of St George was Father Ǵorǵi Angelovski. [9] Annually during Easter celebrations, the Macedonian community would circle the church three times. [15]
The establishment of St George was a pivotal moment that initiated the unitary religious and social life of the Macedonian Australian community and asserted their existence in the country. [16] [17] Being the first Macedonian church within Australia, there were various reactions to the move. [16] The Australian-based Bulgarian, Serbian and Greek churches engaged in a vigorous and public campaign opposing the Macedonians. [16] [18] Bulgarian, Serbian and Greek newspapers called into question Macedonian existence with terms such as "pseudo-bishops", "pseudo-Macedonian church" and "pseudo-Macedonians". [16]
News of the church reached other Macedonian Australian communities, the Macedonian American and Canadian communities and Yugoslav Macedonia. [16] Two years after St George opened, the Macedonian American community followed the precedent by building their own church which became the second Macedonian church outside Macedonia. [16] The establishment of St George prompted Macedonian communities of Australia to construct their own churches. [16]
At St George Church, the adoption of a democratic constitution by the elected Church Committee governed its actions and decisions which gave it the authority to appoint and dismiss priests without a bishop's approval. [19] Disputes emerged over control of St George with the Macedonian Orthodox Church in Yugoslavia. [19] St George Church did not follow the diocesan constitution which stipulated the influence of the Metropolitan for Australia over Church Committees and to own the titles of church properties. [19] The metropolitan attempted to limit membership of the St George Church Committee to citizens from Yugoslavia during the 1960s - early 1970s. [19] The dispute between the Macedonian Orthodox Church and St George Church continued without a resolution in the mid-1970s. [19] Some other Macedonian Orthodox churches built in Australia after St George also adopted its model of church administration. [19]
In the mid 1990s, the church was subjected to an attempted arson attack. [3]
The church was sold, and large parts of the Macedonian community did not favour the move. [15] The site was redeveloped and is now home to urban residents, with the bell tower being one of the remaining features of the former church. [15]