New icons from Lebanon give churchgoers 'window to heaven' - Action News
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New icons from Lebanon give churchgoers 'window to heaven'

Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church in Charlottetown is getting a new wall of paintings and icons that is being called a window to heaven.

'I am grateful to God to see it when I'm alive'

Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church gets new iconostasis from Lebanon

4 years ago
Duration 0:46
The new addition was carved by monks and painted by nuns.

Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church in Charlottetown has a new wall of paintings and icons that is being called a "window to heaven."

The iconostasis, a wall generally used to separatethe congregationfrom the clergy, was hand-carved by Orthodox monks in Lebanon, with Orthodox nuns hand-painting each of the icons.

It was made possible by the generosity of George Bassett. He said the church means lot to him.

"I am grateful to God to see it when I'm alive and I thank the people too, because they helped to see it happen. A lot of tears and a lot of people helped."

The religious icons and paintings were shipped from Lebanon. (Nicola MacLeod/CBC)

The tradition of having a wall of icons dates back at least 1,500 years,said Father Maximos Saikali, visiting from St. Antonio's church in Halifax.

"It's like looking from Heaven on Earth from windows."

Saints Peter and Paul was built about 30 years ago. Itsparishioners come from all parts of the world, including Lebanon, Syria, Greece, India and, of course, Canada.

Saints Peter & Paul Orthodox Church in Charlottetown was built about 30 years ago. (Nicola MacLeod/CBC)

Insaf Haddad, president of the women's association at the church, said it's like having "a new church all over again" now that the wall is installed.

"It's nice to have it here just to remind us a little bit of home," she said.

"This church, it keeps us all together as a community. We may be a small community here in Prince Edward Island, but our faith is very strong. We always support each other whenever somebody is in need."

Nuns in Lebanon hand-painted each of the icons installed at the Charlottetown church. (Nicola MacLeod/CBC)

More from CBC P.E.I.

Corrections

  • An earlier version of this story misstated the religion of the nuns who painted the icons for the iconostasis. We regret the error.
    Dec 14, 2020 5:41 PM AT

With files from Island Morning