Scaffolding and a false platform at St Sophia and Three Daughters Greek Orthodox Parish in Surry Hills, Sydney have finally been removed after five long years, bringing relief to parishioners ahead of Orthodox Easter celebrations.
Parish President Con Zannettides told The Greek Herald the scaffolding was first put in place after the church suffered severe water damage from rain storms a few years ago.
“The church suffered severe damage to the plaster ceiling, causing partial collapse of the plaster and hence creating a future risk hazard of further plaster collapsing,” Mr Zannettides said.
“The scaffolding and false platform was a make safe measure to prevent any future plaster collapsing from injuring any parishioners.”
A safety precaution soon turned into an insurance nightmare, with Mr Zannettides putting the years of delays to remove the scaffolding down to challenges with the insurance company.
“As always, the insurance company was attempting to give us bear minimum amounts towards our claim. However, we challenged the insurance company and stood our ground,” Mr Zannettides said.
“We made it very clear that we would be prepared to litigate our claim and bombarded them with numerous building reports, heritage requirements and works required by both State and Local authorities. Eventually, we were successful in achieving a financially beneficial outcome.”
In January 2025, after roof and ceiling repairs worth in excess of approximately $250,000, the scaffolding and false platform were taken down.
The Board, parishioners and parish priest, the Very Reverend Archimandrite Father Irenaeus are overjoyed at the positive outcome.
“Glory to God, it is a true blessing to see our church restored and free from scaffolding after so many years. Now, our congregation can once again fully appreciate the beauty of our place of worship, just as it was meant to be,” Father Irenaeus told The Greek Herald.
Mr Zannettides added that it was an “extreme relief for all involved” and “an amazing outlook for many new parishioners who have never been exposed to the parish without the scaffolding.”
As the parish celebrates 50 years this year, there are now exciting future plans in motion. These include working on the iconography for the ceiling, as well as getting approval for the church’s centre door (narthex) and the facade to be returned to sandstone.
“We are proud of what we are doing to our church building – we are restoring it to its former glory with its heritage features with a slight influence of our Byzantium and Orthodox character,” Mr Zannettides concluded.
