| Church History - The Beginning in 1926 |
 | | Front view of the original church. |
A small group of Greek pioneers living in Corona met for the first time on March 28, 1926, with their primary concern being the establishment of a Greek Orthodox community in Corona, to meet the spiritual needs of the Greeks in the area. Their decisiveness manifested itself one week later, on Palm Sunday, when they held their first Divine Liturgy in the church converted from what was formerly a store on Roosevelt Avenue. and 94th Street. In September 1926, the purchase of a house located between 28th Avenue and 99th Street was decided, which was consequently converted into a church and remained in use until the opening of the new church, in April 1957.
The first priests who served the community were Presbyter Daniel Skarpas, who remained for a short time, Fr. Nikolaos Andriopoulos who stayed until 1928, at which time Archimandrite Alexandros Gerontidakis assumed the duties of parish priest and teacher for 28 years, until the assignment of Archimandrite Evmenios Tselentakis, on December 1, 1956. He served the community for 27 years and it was during this period that the new church and school were built. 
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| The Opening of the New Church |
 | | Interior of the new church at the opening in 1958. |
The year 1955 was a milestone for the construction of the new church. It was then that the privately-owned lot on 38th Avenue and 98th Street was chosen as the site for the new church, which was built through collections and the publication of a special journal, along with the cooperation and participation of all the community members, the tireless workers of the Lord's vineyard.
On Palm Sunday 1958, the opening of the present day Church of Transfiguration took place amidst a jubilant atmosphere, with the blessings of the Archbishop of America at the time, Michail Konstantinides. The dreams of so many thousands of residents were realized. The decades of toils and sacrifice from the tireless faithful, both the notable and the anonymous, had taken form. The beautiful new Byzantine church became home to the love and prayers of the Greeks of Corona and greater New York. Up until today, this church is the jewel of the neighborhood and the pride of the Greeks who established it, adorned it and continue to maintain it, with ample care and sanctity. Even those who do not live in Corona now, but who trace their roots from here, this church stands as a unique spiritual center point.
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| The Priests and Presidents of the Community |
 | | Historical picture of our early community leaders. |
The harmonious working relationship of all the community officials and constituents, especially the presiding priest and parish council president, is a basic necessity to ensure the smooth operation of a community, based upon the uniform by-laws of the Holy Archdiocese of America. The parish of Transfiguration had the good fortune to have been established and developed through the sacrifices made by its hundreds of members, for seven and a half decades, and those of its leading figures, the devoted clergymen, presidents, and members of all of its parish councils. It is these people who made the unceasing elevation of the spiritual, cultural, and financial life of the community a priority in their service. They stood out for their spirit of innovation, subtlety, teamwork, and creativity. It is due to this that the Community of Corona was the largest in the United States in terms of membership for many years, and today, it plays a leading role in the Greek community, maintaining an exemplary Greek-American day school for thirty-five years now. We express our deepest gratitude to all those leaders of the heroic spiritual efforts of the past, who watch over our community with a vigilant eye from the dwelling place of the righteous, as well as the contributors of our community's progress today.
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| The Chapel of St. Nectarios of Pentapolis |
 | | The Chapel of St. Nectarios of Pentapolis. |
The love possessed by the faithful people of God, for the wonder-working saint of the 20th-century, was especially felt in the Church of Transfiguration. At the beginning of 1997, a suggestion was accepted that the small room to the right of the Holy Sanctuary, which did not have any particular function previously, be converted into a chapel dedicated to St. Nectarios. A special community account was opened for this purpose, so it could receive donations for the beautification of the area. There was a fair number of icons, of about normal size, in the room above the Chapel of St. Nectarios, which were used during worship in the first church. After being restored, ten of these were placed in wood carved veneration-stands and adorn the chapel today. These icons depict Sts. Spyridon, Athanasios, Paraskevi, Andrew, Peter, Constantine, and Helen, George, Panteleimon, Anastasios the Persian, and Paul. An oil-lamp burns ceaselessly before every icon. Mdms. Alexandra Leondis, Akrivi Molfetas, Ekaterini Loukatos, Eleni Karamouzis, and Paraskevi Fragias contributed by making velvet curtains and a new set of veils for the chapel and the entire church. The veneration-stand with the icon of St. Nectarios, donated by Dr. Thomas Mastakouris, stands grandly in the center of the chapel, in the shape of a baldachin, in front of which there is a silver relic-case with a piece of the holy relics of St. Nectarios, which faithful from all across the United States come to venerate. To the right of the baldachin, there is one more veneration-stand with a silver cross, inside of which is a piece of the Holy Cross. The baldachin is separated from the rest of the chapel with wood carved gates. At the entrance to the chapel stands a full-body icon of St. Nectarios, of regular dimensions, which was placed in a new wood carved veneration stand in 1998.
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| The Chapel of St. Matrona of Chios |
 | | The Chapel of St. Matrona of Chios. |
One year following the establishment of the Chapel of St. Nectarios, in 1998, the Philoptochos Ladies Society of Transfiguration gave a donation of five thousand dollars for the establishment of the second community chapel, named after St. Matrona of Chios. St. Matrona was chosen as patron of the chapel because a large icon depicting her stood in front of the chapel. Built-in veneration-stands were placed with eight icons that were worked on by the iconographer, Mr. Konstantinos Yiousis. These icons are: Christ blessig, Panagia Vrefokratousa (the Theotokos holding the baby Jesus), St. John the Forerunner, St. Nicholas, St. Onoufrios, St. Neilos, and the Theotokos enthroned, in a position of prayer, receiving the offering of Constantinople by St. Constantine, and the Church of the Holy Wisdom (St. Sophia) by Justinian. Standing grandly in the center of the chapel is a baldachin with a large icon of St. Gerasimos of Cephalonia, St. Markella of Chios, St. Matrona of Chios, and St. Artemios the Great Martyr, who celebrate their feast together on October 20th. Shown above the saints, is Christ blessing in His transfigured state, and to the left and right of Who stand His disciples. Amidst the four saints depicted and the transfigured Lord hover two angels, holding a scroll with the inscription: "the God-bearing Saints Gerasimos of Cephalonia, Markella of Chios, Matrona of Chios, and Artemios the Great Martyr offer their Holy Shrine to the Transfigured Lord."
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| The Museum of Greek Heritage |
| On Holy Monday, April 9, 2001, at 9 p.m., the museum was officially opened by His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America, before a group of dignitaries and scores of Christian faithful. The Archbishop made a gift of an archieratical egolpion to the museum's collection. The glass casing of the museum contains silver holy vessels from the first church, a letter containing the signature of the national holy-martyr, Bishop Chrysostomos of Smyrrna, and a monk's cap belonging to His Beatitude, Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens, along with a letter form him. The Russian gold-threaded epitaphios from the church is housed in the museum, along with old gold-threaded banners, Russian portable icons, the Estavromenos (Christ hung upon The Cross) of the first church, and other rare display-pieces.
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| The September 11, 2001 Memorial Monument |
People all around the world tearfully watched the terrorist attacks upon New York and Washington, minute by minute, on the morning of September 11, 2001. The parish of Transfiguration was plunged into mourning from the tragedy that struck our city, the capitol of the world, as it is referred to, because many Greek-Americans were among the thousands of innocent victims. Among those lost were two graduates from the School of Transfiguration. They included, firefighter Demetrios Papageorge, age 29, who dutifully ran to the scene immediately after the double strike upon the Twin Towers, in Manhattan, to help in the rescue efforts, along with George Paris, age 27, an insurance broker who worked at the World Trade Center for eight years.
The Greek and American flags at the entrance of the Church of Transfiguration flew at half staff for several days. Everyone's thoughts were focused on how to keep the memory of our unjustly killed compatriots and fellow men and women eternal and undimmed. At the corner of 38th Avenue and 98th Street, in Corona, inside the grounds of our community's church, a monument was erected on December 14, 2001. Its base, made out of white marble, with ancient Greek design, resembles that of an empty memorial. The inscription, "IN ETERNAL MEMORY", is carved under the date that the tragedy took place: "September 11, 2001." A magnificent eight-foot golden cross was raised upon the base as a symbol of the sacrifice and heroism of the Great Mother Church of Christ in Constantinople, from where we gather spiritual strength in the wake of our recent trial.
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| Church Architecture and Interior - The Holy Sanctuary |
 | | The Holy Sanctuary. |
The Holy Sanctuary is the most sacred part of the church because the Divine Liturgy, the sanctification of the Holy Gifts, is performed within it and the Holy Bread is held within the Artoforion throughout the year, for emergencies. The fire of 1988 destroyed most of the Holy Sanctuary, except for the marble altar and the two protheses with the hagiography depicting the Lord's Crucifixion and Burial, and the Holy Trinity. A new Platytera shown seated on a throne, (the Theotokos with her hands outstretched in prayer) was put in place, with gold leaves in the background, directly under a group of twelve saints on the Sanctuary's arch, shown from left to right accordingly, Abraham the Forefather, Melchizedek the Righteous, Gregory Palamas, Spyridon of Trimythous, John Chrysostom, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, Athanasios of Alexandria, Cyril of Alexandria, James the Brother-of-God, Stephen the First Marytr, and Romanos the Musician. Above the Platytera, hagiography of the Lord's Ascension is depicted, where He blesses His disciples while seated on a throne, held by two angels. The Resurrection and Pentecost are shown to the left of the Ascension, and the Transfiguration and Crucifixion are shown to the right. In 1997, the new holy vessels of the church were donated by members of the parish and special interior lights were placed for the purpose of accentuating the faces of the saints depicted and the different colors of their garments.
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| The Archieratical Synthrone |
 | | The Archieratical Synthrone. |
The old white marble Episcopal throne that lied next to the chanter's stand was placed behind the Holy Altar in 1997, after it was cleaned with a special solution. This throne has carvings of the ancient decoration of two imposing swans with their heads facing down. In 1998, wood carved parathrones containing six seats, with carvings of two-headed eagles and grapevines were placed to the left and right of the synthrone, composing what is called an archieratical synthrone in ecclesiastical terminology. The synthrone is a tradition found especially in the early Christian centuries. It was the spot from where the bishop would preach. Afterward, the placement of the iconostasis, which gradually grew higher as the years passed, became common to all churches to distinguish between the Holy Sanctuary and rest of the church, making the bishop no longer visible from behind the iconostasis, which is why the Episcopal throne was eventually moved outside of the Holy Sanctuary. The parish of transfiguration revived the ancient ecclesiastical tradition of the synthrone, and it was inaugurated by Archbishop Spyridon, formerly of America, during the ordination of our parish's spiritual child, Rev. Presbyter Demetrios Moraitis, as a deacon.
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 | | The Iconostasis. |
The iconostasis was crafted in Greece, by "Kavroulakis Woodcarving Company", in 1988, when it was brought to replace the first wood carved iconostasis of the new church, which was ruined in the fire of 1988. The new iconostasis has a unique Byzantine style, traditionally carved by hand. The wood carved cross stands at its center, above the Beautiful Gate, supported by a decorated frame, in whose center there is a depiction of the holy shroud, to the right and left of which lies a grapevine and two peacocks, a symbol of beauty and wisdom. The frame also contains hagiography depicting the Last Supper, to the left and right of which stand the Theotokos crying, St. John the Theologian and the twelve apostles. Aside from the six large icons on the iconostasis, namely, Christ blessing, the Theotokos holding the baby Jesus, St. John the Forerunner, the Transfiguration of Christ, and Archangels Michael and Gabriel, two veneration-stands of the same size have been placed with icons of Sts. Katherine and Nicholas. These veneration-stands are a natural extension of the iconostasis on either side, maintaining the symmetry, harmony, and balance of the iconostasis, while at the same time bringing a feeling of awe and impressiveness to the work as a whole. Directly under the large icons on the iconostasis, there is carved scenery from nature, such as grapevines, peacocks drinking from a spring, snakes and two-headed eagles.
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 | | The Pulpit on the Soleas. |
The area which extends from the from the front of the iconostasis up until the first pews of the church is called the soleas. In the Byzantine era, there was a mosaic of a two-headed eagle on the central part of the floor of the soleas, and it was there that the coronation of the emperor would take place. A wooden platform was built in the Church of Transfiguration in 1998, covered with a purple carpet and surrounded by a wood carved gate with four doors, about as large as the doors of the Holy Sanctuary, so it could be used as a soleas. There are two bronze candelabra on the soleas, in front of the iconostasis, along with one icon veneration-stand. In addition, there is the new wood carved Episcopal throne, donated in 1998 by the community benefactors Nicholas and Martha Vassiliou, a three-seat chanter's stand, the wood carved pulpit with icons of the Lord teaching and the four evangelists, and the baptismal fountain with carved scenes from Epiphany. In the near future, the carpet on the soleas will be replaced with marble, and a mosaic of a two-headed eagle will be placed at the center, in keeping with Byzantine ecclesiastical tradition.
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| The Church and its Hagiography |
 | | Icon of Christ on the dome of the church, known as the Christ Pantocrator ("Almighty"). |
The Church of Transfiguration contains 36 rows of pews, with sitting room for 360 persons and standing room for 100. The lighting comes from a central gold-plated chandelier containing hagiography depicting the prophets and two smaller chandeliers, one by the church entrance and the other above the soleas. The arch of the church is divided into five sections. The central area depicts Christ Pantokrator (Almighty) inside a circular outline, held by four angels, with the four authors of the holy gospels standing at His side. The other four sections do not contain hagiography, but are separated from one another with Byzantine decor. To the left and right of the church, on either side of these sections, on the same level with the facade of the balcony, there are eight frescoes, four on each side, with scenes from the twelve major feasts of the year. Specifically, to the left of the Holy Sanctuary, there is iconography of the Annunciation, the Nativity, the Lord's Presentation, and the Lord's Baptism. To the right there is iconography of Thomas Touching the Lord, the Betrayal by Judas, the Lord's Entrance into Jerusalem and the Resurrection of Lazarus.
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| The Church and its Stainglass |
 | | Stainglass depiction of St. George. |
Aside from the use of wood, canvas, precious metals and marble to illustrate divine, biblical, and ecclesiastical figures and occurrences, glass was also used, particularly in the West, and was also known by its French name, "vitro." The Church of Transfiguration is adorned 22 stainglass windows, of an approximately average size and unique style. Aside from the decorative nature of the stainglass windows, they allow more natural light to enter into the church, something that would not occur if there had been a wall in their place. There are two rows of stainglass windows in the Church of Transfiguration, six on the top left section of the wall, six on the top right section of the wall, five on the lower left section of the wall, and five on the lower right section of the wall. Specifically, on the top left section of the wall there are stainglass windows of Sts. Eleftherios, Andrew, Constantine and Helen, George, Paul, and Irene. On the top right section of the wall there are stainglass windows of the Sts. Evmenios, Thomas, Cosmas and Damianos, Haralambos, Katherine, and Nectarios. On the lower left section of the wall are depicted Sts. Stylianos, John the Forerunner, Demetrios, Stephen, and Markella. On the lower right wall are Panagia Gorgoepikoos (Quick to Heed), and Sts. Anthony, Sophia, Athanasios, and Nicholas.
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 | | A Russian icon of "Christ blessing" adorns the balcony. |
This elevated area above the narthex and entrance into the main part of the church is called the balcony. In the Church of the Holy Wisdom (St. Sophia) in Constantinople, the empress and her entourage would follow holy services from the balcony. This area was also used for choirs. The facade of the balcony of the Church of Transfiguration suffered great damage in the fire of 1988. In the center, the old gold-trimmed epitaphios of the church was hung with evident signs of decay from the passing of the years. As of April 2001, the epitaphios was housed in the Museum of Greek Heritage, following the restoration performed on it. In August 1998, a few days following the feast of the Transfiguration, a group of pious parishioners, including the parish priest, took it upon themselves to restore the balcony. A Russian icon of "Christ blessing", which used to adorn the first iconostasis that was destroyed in the fire of 1988, was placed at the center. Placed to the left and right of Christ was scenery of grapevines, snakes, and peacocks, as well as six old icons from the major feast days of the Church, namely, the Nativity, the Transfiguration, the Entrance into Jerusalem, the Crucifixion, the Removal from the Cross, and the Ascension. At the entrance to the balcony there is hagiography, of about normal size, depicting the Dormition of the Theotokos, to the left of which is St. John the Damaskene, and to the right of which stands St. Cosmas the poet. The two saints of the Church look upon the Theotokos, who is holding scrolls in her hands with excerpts from the hymns that they composed to her.
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 | | The Narthex. |
The narthex is the first area we see when entering the church. During the first Christian centuries, according to Church guidelines, the catechumens and members of other faiths who were not allowed to enter into the main part of the church remained there. During the service of the Divine Liturgy, at the point where the priest says, "The doors, the doors, in wisdom let us attend," they had to leave the church so they would not misunderstand what was taking place because of their ignorance in matters of liturgics and ecclesiastical practice. Later, candle-stands were placed in the narthex, where faithful could light their candle, venerate the icons on the icon-stands and thus, slowly enter into the main part of the church with an understanding of the sanctity of the area. There are two wood carved veneration-stands that were saved from the fire of 1988 and serve as memories of former glory, particularly for the older parishioners. There were two large bronze plates placed in the narthex that bear inscriptions of the names of the great benefactors and donors of the church. The walls that separate the narthex from the main part of the church were adorned in 1997 with four large icons, two of St. John the Forerunner and Archangel Gabriel, which were part of the iconostasis that was destroyed in 1988, and two of the Holy Trinity and the Annunciation of the Theotokos, which were part of the community's first church.
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| The Holy Vessels of the Church |
 | | The Holy Vessels of the Church. |
A significant number of holy vessels were used in the 75 years of worship in the Church of Transfiguration. Today, only a few of those have been saved. Specifically, the silver hand-crafted holy vessels, of the first church of the community, are housed in the glass case in the Museum of Greek Heritage, and the remaining newer ones are held in the museum's display case, for security purposes. In 1997, following the request of Fr. Cleopas to the members of the parish, new holy vessels were purchased to be used during worship services in the parish. The church has in its possession four sets of chalices and trays, forceps and lances, three blessing crosses, four censors, one set of bishops candles, three bread trays, four gospels, two small candleholders for blessings of the loaves, and one seven-candle lamp. In addition, there are three sets of hexapteriga and crosses for altar boys, eight candles for altar boys, two lamps for altar boys, four oil-lamps for the Holy Altar, two single candle-holders for the Holy Altar, and two candle-holders for the three candles of the Holy Altar.
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| The Russian and Other Portable Icons of the Church |
 | | A Russian Icon of the Annunciation of the Theotokos. |
The portable icons of the Church of Transfiguration are purely Byzantine and were donated to the church during four periods. The first period (1926-30) includes the icons of St. George, the Transfiguration, Sts. John the Baptist and Panteleimon, the Baptism of the Lord, St. Athanasios, St. Barbara, the Prophet Elias, and the banner of the Resurrection. During the period of 1959-60, seven Russian icons were donated to the church, from works of the iconographers of the monastic community of the Josaphaians, of Mount Athos. The church had acquired these icons thanks to the ties of the ever-memorable Fr. Tselentakis with Mount Athos, where he had begun his life as a priest. These gold-encased icons are the following: the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple, the Annunciation of the Theotokos, the Raising of Lazarus, St. Nicholas, the Three Hierarchs, St. Spyridon, St. Eleftherios, Sts. Constantine and Helen, St. John the Ladder, St. Anthony, St. Maria the Egyptian, St. Paraskevi, and St. Barbara. Four more icons of a similar style and size were donated to the church during that same period: the Beheading of St. John the Forerunner, St. Andrew the Apostle, the Prophet Elias, and St. Panteleimon. Two year later, in 1962, the church received twelve more icons by the same iconographer. These are the icons of Christ the Bridegroom, the Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles, Sts. Peter and Paul, St. John the Theologian, All the Saints, St. Gregory Palamas, Sts. Cyril and Athanasios, St. Eleftherios, the Holy Forty Martyrs, St. Anne, St. Marina, and St. Xenia. In 1962, the icon of St. John Chrysostom was donated, "By the hand of M.K. St. George of Alamana." The last period of donations of new icons to the church began from 1988 onward, that is, after the fire that struck the church. It was then that four smaller versions of the four icons on the iconostasis, Christ, the Theotokos, St. John the Forerunner, and the Tranfiguration of Christ, were likely offered for the purpose of building small veneration-stands in front of the iconostasis, something that never materialized. Also, from time to time, other icons of s simpler style were also donated by individuals or associations, such as the two icons of St. Markella.
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| The Gold-Threaded Needlework of the Church |
 | | Gold-threaded needlework of the Russian epitaphios. |
The love and dedication toward the Divine expressed itself in many ways over the centuries. One particular way was the development of ecclesiastical art, ecclesiastical architecture, hagiography, woodcarving, etc. The circumscription of the Triune God, the heavenly powers, and the chorus of angels of the Church was not limited only to the above areas, but was extended to the creation of holy veils and vestments, many of which are works of art and are housed in some of the largest museums in the world. This is due to the detail of the figures depicted, the high quality of the production of these gold-threaded pieces, the impressive arrangement of colors and scenes, and the liturgical purpose that they serve. Among the pieces exhibited in the Museum of Greek Heritage, the following gold-threaded needlework is found: the first four banners of the church with gold-threaded scenes and inscriptions, at the center of which stands the hagiography of the Transfiguration of Christ, a set of veils for the holy vessels, a small epitaphios from the first church, and the second Russian epitaphios of the church. Both epitaphios are of approximately average dimensions, with a gold-threaded depiction of the Lord's burial, and the hagiography of the figures on purple velvet.
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