What does it really mean to say that when one enters an Orthodox church, one is entering a sacred space? How can a particular place be holy? Why do Orthodox churches have such a strikingly distinctive look, with such a unified expression of art and architecture in all corners of the world? Why are Orthodox churches so filled with icons?
These questions and others like them are common among both newcomers to the Holy Orthodox Faith and to cradle Orthodox Christians who are striving to deepen their understanding of the great gift God has given them in Orthodox Christianity. On Monday, December 8, 2025, in Geneva, Switzerland, insight into questions of this kind came from His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew himself, as he participated in the twelfth meeting of the International Academic Consultation between Judaism and Orthodox Christianity.
The Consultation centered this year on the topic “Sanctity of Place – Sanctity of Space.” In his address, His All-Holiness offered a series of unique and deeply Orthodox reflections on the nature of Orthodox of worship, illuminating many important reasons for why it has its distinctive character.
“In the Orthodox Christian experience,” His All-Holiness explained, “it is true that sacred space takes flesh and bones in a visible manner in church architecture, in iconography, in liturgical life.” He proceeded to elucidate what exactly this means and how it happens in all three of these areas.
Touching first upon the architecture of Orthodox churches, the Ecumenical Patriarch observed that “it is characteristic, that which visitors experience when they enter an Orthodox church for the first time. They often describe a sense of transport, a transition to the transcendent. The walls and the domes which are fully inscribed with storied figures, the air which carries the fragrance of the incense, the light which seems to move and to breathe. None of these things is accidental. This atmosphere is intentional. In Orthodoxy, sacred space is not decorative. It is a confession. It is a declaration of faith. It reveals, with material means, that which we believe.”
One has not, in other words, entered into a space that is dedicated to earthly use. When one enters an Orthodox church, the evidence of all of one’s senses communicates that this is a place that is profoundly different from other places, precisely because it is consecrated to the worship of God. His All-Holiness explained that “space is sanctified, because God has already sanctified it by creating the universe, setting the boundaries of the heavens, the earth and the seas (cf. Gen. 1:1-10). Time is ennobled, because God entered into history. He spoke to the Patriarchs and the Prophets (cf. Exod. 3:1-6 and 1 Kings 19:11-13). He commanded His people to rest and to observe the Sabbath as a holy day (cf. Exod. 20:8). Matter is transformed, because God provided for His people, feeding them (cf. Exod. 16:4 and Matt. 14:13-21) and anointing His servants (cf. 1 Sam. 16:10-13 and Luke 4:16-21).”
Turning to the sacred icons, His All-Holiness explained why they are not mere paintings: “The iconographer works with deep respect, following a process which is itself a form of prayer. From the preparation of the wood, the layering of the gesso, the design, the placement of the gold leaf, the painting from darkness towards light, the inscription of the sacred name, until the final blessing of the icon in the church. Every step is a dialogue that fills the space with grace. The iconographer listens. He listens to the Scriptures, to the tradition, to the holy figure he is depicting. The Church answers with prayer and blessing. The faithful answer with veneration, lighting candles, offering their supplications.”
His All-Holiness briefly summarized how the church building itself also bears witness to the faith of the people of God: “Beyond the icon, however, the very building of the temple honors the sanctity of space and of dialogue in varied ways. The orientation towards the East echoes the Jewish orientation towards Jerusalem and the hope of the final restoration. The dome, particularly in the Byzantine style, reflects the heavens, surrounding the faithful with the presence of Christ, of the angels and of the saints. The iconostasis – often misunderstood as an obstacle – is in reality a threshold. It reveals that the great mysteries of God can be approached but never exhausted. It is permeable, but not trivial. Transparent, but not empty.”
This transformation of ordinary things extends not just to what the faithful see, but what they hear: “And if icons and architecture sanctify the visible world, Orthodox hymnography and psaltic art sanctify the auditory world. Here, another space is filled with grace through sound. The Church traditionally did not use musical instruments, not because it considers them unclean, but because the human voice is the sacred instrument par excellence, one of the many faculties sanctified by God when He created man ‘in His image and likeness’ (Gen. 1:26).”
His All-Holiness also emphasized that the sanctification of space in Orthodox churches should lead us to recognize the sanctity of all human beings: “Recognizing the sanctity of place, we are called to safeguard not only physical locations, but the dignity of the people who inhabit them. Sacred space is violated not only when a shrine is desecrated, but also when the dignity and life of others are threatened.”
During his Apostolic Visit to the United States in September 2025 and thereafter, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has delivered a remarkable series of addresses on a wide variety of topics. His reflections in Geneva on the sanctity of space should inform the understanding of every Orthodox Christian about the incomparable richness of our tradition. As Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, it is our great honor to disseminate the wisdom of His All-Holiness as widely as we possibly can, for the enlightenment of the world.
