Taken in the tower at the de Young Museum. Photo by peterburnham.

We were treated to a tour of the inside of the Holy Virgin Russian Orthodox Cathedral on Saturday, located at 6210 Geary Boulevard. The tour was led by Father Yaroslav Belikow, who gave us a great history of the church and its architecture, and answered all of the questions we could come up with. Thank you, Father Belikow!

The inside is really spectacular – not at all what you’d expect from the quiet exterior. Check out some of the photos below and if you want to see it for yourself, stop in for one of their services which take place twice daily at 8am and 6pm. Visit the church website for more information.

I did not take any notes during our tour, but here are some highlights I remember from it:

• The cathedral was initially begun under one Bishop, who passed away during early construction, leaving it unfinished with just a few arches completed. The cathedral was completed in the 1960s when Bishop John came and took over. He died not long after in 1966 and was buried under the altar. He was officially glorified as St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco in 1994. There is an altar inside the church where you can view his relics. The Father told us they still receive letters addressed to St. John which they place under his remains in the church.
• During Russian Orthodox services, parishioners stand so there are very few pews inside the church. As the Father joked, their services are “long, and longer.”
• There is singing during services but no instrumentation; all performances are A capella. On Saturday nights and Sunday mornings, a full choir performs.
• The Father told an interesting story about the cross you see in the Russian Orthodox church, which has a bottom bar across the lower portion. It was where Jesus Christ would have placed his feet during the crucifixion. However it is slanted slightly. The story goes that Jesus Christ was crucified along with two thieves, one on each side of him, each on their own cross. The thief on his left was mocking Christ, saying that if he really was holy, why couldn’t he just save them all. The other thief, on the right, was more kind and urged the other thief to leave him alone and show some compassion. Before he died, Christ’s leg spasmed and knocked the bottom bar askew. The saying goes that the right side tilts down – in the direction the unfriendly thief would be headed after his demise, while the other side points up – the direction the kind thief would be headed.
• The shiny parapets on top of the church are based on the Indian ones of similar design (think Taj Mahal). But because of the heavy snows in Russia, they were designed to be taller and more narrow, making it easier for the heavy snow to slide off. Sort of a self-cleaning parapet as the Father described it.
• The parapets have gold on them to create a pretty reflection, like a sunset. However only 12% of the tiles are reflective – that is the magic number for achieving the effect.
• The church has a small reliquary against one wall, with bits and pieces of Saints in small containers.
• There is a partition, or iconostasis, that has doors on it (you can see it pictured). The doors remain closed most of the year, but are all opened around Easter in honor of the resurrection. The main doors in the center of the iconstasis are known as the royal doors.

Sarah B.

A couple of nice black and white photos of a bustling Clement Street, both taken near New May Way Market (9th Avenue).

Handling a delivery outside New May Wah market. Photo by m_dougherty.

Photo by mike dillon

Our Neighborhood by edited by Jan Nicholas, Richmond District Neighborhood Center

I was cruising through the Richmond District Neighborhood Center website the other day and came across a book called “Our Neighborhood: Through the Eyes of Youth”. It’s a collection of photos of the Richmond District (and animals at the SF Zoo), taken by students that were part of an RDNC Digital Photography summer camp.

The book has several sections based on the class assignments that covers various topics like neighborhood architecture, animals (at the SF Zoo), nature and Golden Gate Park.

The book starts at $32 and can be ordered at blurb.com; proceeds benefit the RDNC and its programs. Check out a preview above.

I bought one – it looks great on my coffee table and it’s a nice way to share some interesting photos of the neighborhood. Well done kids!

Sarah B.

Congrats to all the runners and walkers who completed the 12k Bay to Breakers today. Hugh at ob-kc.com captured this shot of a rainbow near the finish.