After our morning bus tour we went to the basilica of St. Demetrius. St. Demetrius is the patron saint for the city of Thessaloniki. Not a whole lot is known about the character of St. Demetrius, but he was believed to be a member of the senatorial class who defended the city in some way. It is also unclear about when exactly he was venerated as a saint. The basilica was built in the 5th century AD, so he was obviously venerated before this time.
The basilica itself was very beautiful, and very different from the monasteries we visited. The chapels in the monasteries were very small, almost humble in a way, but every inch of space was decorated with frescoes about Jesus, Mary, and the saints. This basilica was much larger in scale, and not quite as decorated. Both places invoked a feeling of reverence.
One thing I noticed when visiting the basilica were the people who came to worship. Some people bought and lit candles, and went around reverently studying the icons. After stopping before the icon I noticed many worshipers bending over and kissing it. I think it’s very beautiful how the people appear to be so emotionally connected to their place of worship.
One interesting thing we learned is the difference between Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches. The Greek Orthodox church does not believe that the pope has authority over other Christians. In the Greek Orthodox church priests are allowed to marry if they get married before their ordination, but they cannot move on to become a bishop. The Catholic church makes no such provision. They also hold a very different opinion of Mary. Catholics believe that Mary herself wad not conceived in original sin, while the Greek Orthodox people do not believe that.
This whole experience makes me wonder about how my perception of church is different from the Greek Orthodox perception. As I mentioned earlier, the Greek Orthodox worshipers appear to be very emotionally connected to their place of worship. In all honesty, I tend to take mine for granted. I think that tend to forget the beauty of the entire experience, and the whole process becomes routine. From now on I would like to be more thoughtful about my place of worship.
I really appreciate how the Greek Orthodox church uses art as aids to worship. Icons on mosaics and frescos remind people of what’s important, and as Dr. Moore pointed out, they act as a, “cloud of witnesses.” I think this is something Protestants should focus more on.
Greek Orthodox believers do not worship the saints, but they do pray to them. They believe that the saints can then bring their petitions to God. As a Protestant, this is one thing I do not agree with. While I do believe that saints are fellow witnesses, and I think artwork of their lives is important, I do not believe you can pray to them. There is no Biblical evidence suggesting that you can pray to anyone but God himself. In John 14:6 Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life no one comes to the father except through me” (ESV).
As a final reflective note, I have a question: Do you think it is important to have a beautiful church to worship God in, or is a beautiful building merely superficial?