Can you really write a review of a church? I have to give this church 5 stars by default, it's the…read moreone that raised me.
But I'm not going to comment on the services -- that's entirely too personal and, honestly, I don't think that ever should be "rated." If you're interested in mystic Christian traditions, Greek Orthodoxy might be appealing to you. If not, then it's not.
Here's the thing about my home church. It's located in The Acre, once the stronghold of immigrant labor working in the mills, now arguably one of the worst areas in Lowell (basically it's the projects). But as this is Lowell, the people are really quite nice and the neighborhoods aren't that bad. The Transfiguration Church (aka The Trans) is smack-dab in the middle of all of it, very unassuming yellow brick on the outside.
But it's one of the best-kept secrets in the world. It's like sparkling geode of a place -- you crack the shell of its bland exterior and outside architecture to reveal one of the most amazing and ornate monuments to religious art in America.
The entire interior of my home church, floor to wall to ceiling to dome, is totally covered in real glass and gold tile mosaic in traditional Greek Byzantine style. It took something like 30 years to complete, all spearheaded by the late spiritual father of the community, the Very Reverend Father John Sarantos, whom the street is now named after. (We all called him Father John.) He was a man of extraordinary vision who believed that the highest religious experiences should be matched by heavenly art -- made entirely and painstakingly by hand by the best artists. The art of the church was the extraordinary work of one man, Robert Andrews. In his work, everything shimmers and sparkles, the walls and ceilings breathe and ache with human hopes of heaven and eternity.
I am not exaggerating when I say there is nothing, absolutely NOTHING in America like it.
The church's website is very old and hasn't been updated in forever, but it does have some (rudimentary digital) photographs: http://www.transchurch.org/mosaics/mosaic.asp
Click the "east view" for an idea of what it's like.
As I said earlier, I grew up in this church. Every Sunday I would gawk and stare in awe at the mosaics surrounding me, it never ceased to amaze me, even now. Every time new people come to the church -- visiting for whatever reason -- there's this phenomenal silence and amazement that comes over them when the church comes into their view. Their jaw just drops. It's a complete sensory overload -- art and religion melding in ways that are not normally seen in the Christian world, or in the US in general for that matter. Folks are just shocked that something this ornate and otherworldly exists in a Christian sphere--most people think of stained glass windows and white walls when it comes to churches, it seems.
If you're ever in the area for the Transfiguration Church's Greek festival in the summer, they often give tours of the church. If you're not familiar with Byzantine art and Eastern Orthodox Christian symbology, such tours will help you understand what you're looking at (why certain images appear in different places, the function and purpose of the placement of certain icons -- absolutely everything has meaning, believe me). If mystic traditions of the East intrigue you, the Trans will give you a lot to think about.
The Transfiguration Church is the pride and joy of Greek-Americans in Massachusetts and of the Lowell community. I feel extremely honored and humbled that I grew up in a place as extraordinary as the Trans, and that it was my second home for all my formative years.
