Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church

Augusta, GA

The earliest Greek Orthodox to arrive in Augusta was in 1877 when Tom Schiaderessi came from Charleston, South Carolina. His brothers, Spero and Dimitrios, followed a few years later as well as George Cochakos in 1886, Theo Angelakos and Panos Antonakos in 1897, John, Pete and George Thevaos in 1889, and Gus Antonakos in 1900. In 1911, One hundred sixty-two Greek immigrants came together to establish the Greek community. Services were first held in homes and halls, including the Pan-Hellenic Union Hall. Priests from Atlanta or Savannah provided major support to the immigrants. The present church site was bought in 1917 where the wooden Christ Presbyterian Church became home to the parish.

Initial members of the parish of Augusta lived in places such as Greenville, Spartanburg, Columbia, and western North Carolina. The first priest assigned to Holy Trinity Church of Augusta was Reverend Thomas Papageorge who conducted Easter services in 1919. The present church building was planned and built during his tenure in Augusta. Today’s church was built in 1921, and is believed to be the oldest church building in the southeast United States built as a Greek Orthodox Church. The acclaimed carved wood iconostasion, originally created and built by Anthony Gavalas, was reworked and refurbished by his son, Nick Gavalas, after a fire in 1941. Father and son, both master craftsmen, designed and constructed several additional wood pieces for the church. The icons of the iconostasion and other icons were painted by artisans from Greece in the 1920s. The stained glass windows were placed in the late 1950s. Our priest is Reverend Michael Monos and Parish Council president is Debi Agganis Ballas.

Sadly, in the early hours of the Great and Holy Saturday this year 2003, fire broke out in the Narthex, severely damaging it. The entire church sustained smoke, soot, and water damage. An in-depth evaluation has been undertaken. Services will be held indefinitely in the adjacent Hellenic Center until the repairs are completed. We ask for everyone’s prayers that Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church of Augusta be restored to its former beauty.

To visit the parish website, please click here.