Explore the iconographic program of St. Vladimir's Seminary's Three Hierarchs Chapel, with +Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko (March 28, 1939–March 18, 2015), longtime professor and dean of the Seminary.
The Chapel of the Three Hierarchs at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary is named after Sts. Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom—Church Fathers and bishops who exemplified correct doctrine, spiritual growth, and pastoral care in their lives and ministries. These saints serve as the patrons of the faculty, staff, and seminarians of the Seminary, as they come to worship daily in the chapel.
The Chapel, completed in 1983, replaced an original smaller chapel that had been on the grounds when the Seminary purchased its present property in the Crestwood neighborhood of Yonkers, NY, in 1962. The original chapel was first built as worship space for an Episcopalian community of faith, while the new chapel was built to accommodate Orthodox Christian liturgical worship.
The iconography in the chapel reflects an intentional program of biblically based themes, which instructs worshipers in the salvation wrought by their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and which inspires them to enter into the community of saints (Jn. 17:21).
The Chapel’s structure and internal design were planned by Archpriest Alexis Vinogradov, Seminary alumnus and architect, and Protopresbyter John Meyendorff, dean of the Seminary from 1984–1992. The woodworking in the Chapel was overseen by another alumnus, Archpriest Andrew Tregubov. The icons were painted by Matushka Elisabeth Kalouzhnay Ozoline, an iconographer and art historian. Icons used in the original chapel, painted by iconographer Maria Struve, continue to adorn the walls of Three Hierarchs Chapel as well.
