Fresco Painting Completed in Altar of Saint Michael the Archangel Church in Burnaby

Article by Fr. Sinisa Milutinovic

To the glory of God, the first phase of the fresco painting of the Saint Michael the Archangel Church in Burnaby has been completed. On the feast of Saint Vasilije of Ostrog, a prayer service was held to mark the beginning of the work, and a few weeks later the altar section was completely decorated with frescoes.

According to the established tradition of the Church, the upper sections of the altarpiece are decorated with scenes of the Ascension of the Lord and the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. They are accompanied, in the central part, by a fresco of the Most Holy Theotokos “Wider than Heaven” and in the side niches by the frescoes “The Hospitality of Abraham” and “The Supper at Emmaus”. The central part of the eastern wall is occupied by the scene “The Communion of the Apostles”, which is followed by frescoes of the Hierarchs on the side walls.

The plan is to, with God's help and in accordance with the tradition of the Church, paint a large number of Serbian saints in the church, as a testimony of the love and sacrifice of the Serbian people to the whole of Orthodoxy. The altarpiece, among others, depicts the images of the saints: John Chrysostom, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, Nicholas of Zica, Mardarije of Libertyville, Teodor of Vrsac, Joanikije (Lipovac), Platon of Banja Luka and other holy hierarchs from our lineage but also from the entire Orthodox world. All their names and photographs of the frescoes themselves will soon be exhibited.