Family's flair makes cathedral shine

The father-and-son team refurbishing St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral's interior is nearing the end of the two-month project.

By AMELIA DAVIS

© St. Petersburg Times, published February 15, 2000

TARPON SPRINGS -- Scaffolding 60 feet tall stands under the dome of the historic St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral.

At the top, a painter leans forward to brush a tan color onto one of the archways that surrounds it. Tan is a new hue for the interior of the cathedral which, except for the icons and stained glass, was previously all white.

"What we are doing is bringing out the maximum glory," said Jim Stathopoulos, 44, who, along with his father, John Stathopoulos, 68, and two employees, is winding down a two-month, $200,000 project to revitalize the cathedral's interior. The exterior of the cathedral is also being refurbished, bringing the total cost to $800,000.

Seven years ago, St. Nicholas hired the Stathopouloses to restore the cathedral's 150 icons, which were peeling, chipping and cracking. Father Tryfon Theophilopoulos, dean of St. Nicholas, said the father-son team masterfully and neatly completed the task with "no splashing, no nothing."

When it was time once again for sanctuary improvements, the Stathopouloses were hired.

"They take pride in their work," Theophilopoulos said.

The Stathopouloses' Religious Arts Corp. is in Morton Grove, Ill., near Chicago. The company focuses on the restoration, decoration and maintenance of churches. Some of the work, such as the applying of gold leaf, is tedious, Jim Stathopoulos said. Other work, such as the replacement of gutters or drywall, falls into the "drudge" category.

"Everything we do is with a reverence for the church and a respect for the people," he said.

John Stathopoulos was a street urchin in Athens, Greece, when he convinced a man restoring a fresco on the ceiling of a cathedral bombed during World War II to teach him the trade.

Jim Stathopoulos learned church restoration from his father.

"When he was a small boy, he would try to do whatever I would do," John Stathopoulos said. "Sometimes I would get upset when he would use my artist brushes. Later on, I discovered he had talent."

The two came to America in 1971. Since then, they have restored churches and cathedrals all over the country.

St. Nicholas, completed in 1943, is the focal point of the country's most elaborate Eastern Orthodox Epiphany observance, held each year in January. Following morning religious services at the cathedral, a procession heads for Spring Bayou, where teenage boys dive off dinghies to retrieve a wooden cross.

The architecture of St. Nicholas and its importance to the culture of Tarpon Springs were enough to qualify the cathedral for the National Register of Historic Places. Throughout the year, people of all faiths visit the cathedral, which is open for public viewing and private prayer seven days a week.

"We are not an egotistical church," Theophilopoulos said. "We welcome everyone."

While John Stathopoulos uses a tiny brush to apply thin sheets of gold leaf to a column in the sanctuary, his son and the painter on the top of the scaffolding shout to each other in Greek. Their conversation, it turns out, is about how best to move the scaffolding monster a few feet to the right.

The painter decides to ride out the move from his perch near the ceiling. The goal is to get the painter as close as possible to the next archway without touching a massive crystal chandelier that hangs in the center of the dome.

Slowly and gently, the scaffolding and the painter are relocated without incident.

Jim Stathopoulos said he expects to complete the restoration project by the end of the month. He said he treasures this cathedral for its beautiful architecture, impressive dome and columns. His labor, he said, is a work of love.

"This place is my baby," he said.

St. Nicholas is conducting a fundraising drive to pay for improvements to the cathedral. Anyone wishing to donate may send contributions to the Restoration Fund of St. Nicholas Cathedral, 18 Hibiscus St. N, Tarpon Springs, 34689.

© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.