In 1870, 27 Greeks lived in San Francisco. By 1900, that figure increased to 199 and, by 1920, following the Balkan Wars, to 3,886. A “Greek Town” emerged in the area we know now as South of Market. (There is a plaque at the southeastern corner of Moscone Center, marking the spot.) Holy Trinity, the first Greek church in San Francisco, was incorporated in 1904.
In 1916, political loyalties in Greece resulted in a division here between the supporters of the Prime Minister, Eleftherios Venizelos, and King Constantine I. In 1921, those who supported the Prime Minister purchased a lot at Hayes and Pierce Streets and began building their own church. The church was named the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Sophia by Meletios Metaxakis, the Archbishop of Greece who had been deposed by the king, since he was a Venizelos loyalist. Later the same year, the Archbishop was elected Ecumenical Patriarch, the highest ecclesiastical ranking in the Orthodox Church. The seat of the Ecumenical Patriarch is Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey). While in the United States, Meletios Metaxakis also created four Dioceses—San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, and New York. The Archdiocese, headquartered in New York, was incorporated in 1922. In 1928, the St. Sophia community sold the property at Hayes and Pierce Streets and relocated to the old Valencia Street Theater, which had been built in 1908. Over the next five years, the community added a school, offices, and a community center. However, the burden of a heavy mortgage during the Depression years resulted in its declaration of bankruptcy, in 1935.
The St. Sophia community was reorganized in 1936. It was now named “United Greek Orthodox Community of San Francisco, The Annunciation,” and has been known ever since as the Annunciation Cathedral. One of its objectives was to unite the Greek Orthodox population of San Francisco under one community (hence the name “United Greek Orthodox Community”). The 1940s and 1950s brought a lot of activity to the church, including involvement in Greek war relief, the growth of the Women’s Philoptochos, AHEPA (American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association), the Daughters of Penelope, and GAPA (Greek American Progressive Association), as well as the establishment of GOYA (Greek Orthodox Youth of America) and an athletic league.
In 1964 a major renovation of the Cathedral was undertaken. The sanctuary was given a fresh coat of paint, the iconostasion doors were expanded to provide for a better view of the altar table, and the auditorium was refurbished. Later, the exterior columns of the old theater were covered over by a new façade, and the bell towers, which had weakened, were removed. An adjacent apartment building, acquired by the Cathedral in 1962, was razed to make way for the building of a new community center complex. In 1981, the Bausch and Lomb Optical Company building, located at 275 Valencia Street, was purchased by the Cathedral, effectively giving the community some 47,000 square feet of land. The plans now provided for the inclusion of this new acquisition in the new community center. However, the earthquake of October 17, 1989 changed all that. The church sustained major damage. Consequently, it was demolished. Following a year-long search for an alternate site, the parishioners decided to rebuild on the Valencia Street site, in two phases. Phase I, now completed, consists of a 39,000 square foot facility, including a gymnasium, classrooms, offices, a kitchen, storage, and a temporary place of worship, known as the Bishop Anthony Hall and Chapel. In 1997, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew broke ground for Phase II, to consist of a 13,000 square foot Cathedral, with two levels of underground parking. While alternate sites were considered (in fact, offers were made on two sites) a decision was reached in January of 2009 to proceed with Phase II at the present location. Meanwhile, the offices of the Metropolis of San Francisco (the Diocese of San Francisco was elevated to a Metropolis by the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 2002) were moved to the Cathedral in 2008, signaling a new era for the Annunciation Cathedral as the administrative center for the Greek Orthodox Church of the West. A study of the Annunciation Cathedral, also conducted in 2008, by the Research Department of the Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute in Berkeley, California shows that the Cathedral is poised to develop programs to meet the growing needs of its parishioners and of future generations.
The community expects to have the necessary approvals from the Parish and the Metropolis by the end of 2009, and from the City in 2010. Construction could begin the latter part of 2010. Preliminary estimates put the project at $10 million. Approximately one-half of this amount was bequeathed to the Cathedral’s Building Fund by the late Angelo and Anne Mountanos. It is the largest bequest in the Cathedral’s history. Inspired by the epitome of Orthodox Christian architecture—the sixth century Haghia Sophia in Constantinople, known as the Great Church—the new Cathedral will feature a large dome over a central plan. The dome will rise to sixty-four feet and will contain the icon of Christ Pantokrator (lit. “the ruler of all”). A smaller chapel, or baptistry, will feature an adult baptismal font, while an infant baptismal font will be located on the soleas (the raised area between the nave and the apse on which the bishop’s throne, the pulpit, and two chanters’ stations are also located). The Iconostasion (on which icons of Christ the Teacher, the Theotokos and Child, the Annunciation, St. John the Forerunner and Baptist, and the Archangels Michael and Gabriel will be installed) will separate the soleas from the ieron, where the altar table will be placed, along with two niches, one for the prothesis (the preparation of the Gifts), the other for saints’ relics. The ieron will also feature a synthronon, or bishop’s throne, in accordance with early Christian church architecture, as well as seating for clergy and acolytes. The nave will provide permanent seating for 572, with additional seating for special occasions, in the baptistry, in the north transept, and in the choir loft. The choir loft will provide spaces for 52 choir members, as well as additional seating. The final icon to be installed will be that of the Platytera ton Ouranon (lit. “she who is wider than the heavens”). It is an icon of the Ever-Virgin Mary Theotokos (lit. “God-bearer”) holding Jesus Christ, as a child, and is located high in the apse, or ieron, above the altar table.
The new Cathedral is designed to interface with Phase I. Arched vestibules will connect the narthex with the existing administration building, as well as the Bishop Anthony Hall and Chapel. The doors of the north transept will open onto the existing courtyard, which will connect to an additional open area along the exterior of the apse, more than doubling the existing courtyard space. Together with the buildings erected in Phase I, the new Cathedral will constitute a Byzantine “jewel” in an urban setting. It is projected that the new Cathedral will be completed in 2012.
Donate