With over-sized eyes, long, narrow noses and broad foreheads, the two-dimensional iconic art adorning the walls and domes at Holy Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church in east Cobb recall the religious aesthetic founded in the fifth century, during the Byzantine empire.

The stoic expressions worn by Jesus, Mary, several saints and theologians are sharply contrasted against brilliant shades of gold, blue and red, creating an image that is human in form, but not of this world, said Father Panayiotis Papageorgiou.

"These are figures that are already in the kingdom of God, and we call them 'windows into heaven,'" he said.

Both the nave, or sanctuary, and a small, special chapel are decorated in iconography painted by Elias Katsaros, a professional artist living in Huntsville, Ala., and a member of the Greek Orthodox church. Katsaros started working with the church in 2002, and won't complete all the iconography until 2013. He paints the icons on large canvases and then transfers them to the church.

"With this art, you don't emphasize the self but the church. You cannot do this work well if you don't like it … there are meanings to these pictures. It's very stylized and disciplined," said Katsaros.

"It's not done by me, but only with the help of God. He gives us all."

Iconography, Papageorgiou explained, is integral to the Orthodox church because it creates a holy space to worship. Historically, it taught Biblical lessons, Christian theology and history to a majority of people who did not have or could not read the Bible.

"History has always been and still is very important to us. The church has done this for 2,000 years … we anchor ourselves in tradition to preserve and keep people involved in faith and its fire," said Papageorgiou.

The larger-than-life images also pay homage to the people in the church's past who helped form the doctrines, traditions and liturgy of the early Christian church.

But this is not to be confused with worshiping these figures, said Papageorgiou. "Worship is given only to Christ, God the father and the Holy Spirit. But we also venerate the saints and those who tried to be like God," he said.

The icons, that include St. Andrew, St. Basil the Great and the feast of the transfiguration, are very symbolic of the church's theology and ideas surrounding heaven. The Byzantine style of worship and art come from the Byzantine Empire, the Greek-speaking Roman Empire of the Middle Ages dominated in Greek language and culture.

The art is a reaction from the realistic, Classical period. Rather than idealize the perfection of the human form, Byzantine art was more abstract and spiritually symbolic.

The big foreheads on the theologians represent their knowledge of the divine, the small noses and mouths signify that speaking, eating and smelling are not necessary in the kingdom of God, and the large eyes and ears represent the awe one feels in life with God.

The Greek Orthodox church utilizes all the senses in worship, which is another reason for the grandeur of the icons. During a worship service, they burn incense, kiss and touch an icon, light a candle and chant in the Byzantine style.

"In this world, we worship God with all things he gave us. You are visually stimulated, hear this great music, take communion, smell the incense and touch the icons," said Papageorgiou.

For George Lopos, a Transfiguration member, this type of worship becomes mystical, taking him deeper into a spiritual realm.

"This is not Western rationalism, but that can only take you so far. Faith takes you further," he said.

The icons, for him, remind him of how to go above and beyond in his faith.

"And there is a lot of metaphor, it's moving on different levels … You look at it and it connects you to the other side. They aren't lower or middle or upper class, nor are they realistic, so what they represent is universal," said Lopos.

Alex Miltiades, who's family founded the church, said the completion of the iconography is also a celebration of the faith, vision and generosity of the members of Transfiguration.

The church started in 1989 in a small store with 50 members, and eventually became a full-fledged Greek Orthodox church with 250 members. They've been planning for this since its inception. In 2004, the sanctuary, designed by a Byzantine expert architect and Katsaros, was finished. The next step for the church is building a space for a gym, banquet hall and education classes.

"Of all the things I've done in my life, I am most proud of starting a church and seeing it develop," said Miltiades.

cknight@mdjonline.com

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