I love My Ekklisaki!

If you've ever been to Greece, you would have noticed little churches (ekklisakia, εκκλησάκια) almost everywhere you went. There are miniature ones on the roadsides, small ones on the cliffs and coastlines, and chapels on private estates. These Byzantine style buildings derive from and foster the faith of the Greek people. Any passerby can stop and say a prayer, venerate icons in honor of saints, or remember lost family members.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't know how you feel about seeing them in pictures but when I saw them in person, I wanted one. You can buy them in any garden store in Greece. The problem is getting them to America. Because they are ceramic or concrete, their weight would make the shipping costs exorbitant. For the last few years, I have searched Greek stores in America but none of them had them. I even started to make one out of styrofoam in the hope I could cover it with stucco to make it look authentic.

But, like most things in life, I finally found one when I stopped looking for it. My husband was in New York at a church supply store (Alpha Omega Church Supplies) and when he turned a corner while going from one room to the other - BAM - there was an ekklisaki right in front of him. He excitedly asked the clerk how much it cost and sent me a picture by text to see if I liked the colors. I did! My birthday was coming up, and his shopping was done!

 

I love my Ekklisaki!