Among those saints whose relics are contained within the consecrated altar are: The New Martyr, Barbara, attendant to the Grand Duchess Elizabeth; The New Martyr St. Alexis of Wilkes Barre; St. Herman of Alaska; Martyrs Probus, Tarachus and Andronicus (3rd Century). The relics in the antimins are also those of the New Martyr Barbara. Other relics in the church are those of Saint Herman and Saint Gregory of Nyssa (in their respective icons).

Iconographer Nikolai Mukhin has painted murals in the altar and arches of the Church of the Presentation of the Virgin in the Tolga Monastery in Yaroslavl, painted murals in the Russian Church in Japan, painted the dome in the chapel of the president’s palace Saint Antoine in Malta, and painted icons at Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow.

From the founding of the parish until December, 1994, we met in a chapel owned by the Melkite Christian congregation on 15th Avenue. At the time we left there, the chapel was also used by the Ethiopian and Coptic Orthodox congregations in town.

The church building was formerly a two-story Cadillac showroom.

The paints Nikolai Mukhin used in the church frescos are hand-mixed Ralph Lauren paints purchased locally. The colors are surprisingly softer than typical tones used in iconography. Mr. Mukhin explained that he purposely chose to use “new” warmer, lighter colors in the iconography to express the openness of the church and America as a new country for the Orthodox faith.