Wood, Marble, and the Church We Are Becoming

When the interiors committee began its work, the framework we inherited assumed wood furnishings. It was a reasonable starting point — wood is warm, traditional, and widely used in Orthodox churches. Several committee members, however, found themselves drawn to something else: the beauty of white marble.

We assumed marble was out of reach. But we decided to do our due diligence.

What we found surprised us. Ornately carved wood and simple marble furnishings are not as far apart in cost as you might expect. We discovered Ecclesia Designers, a partner who came highly recommended and who did not stretch our budget as much as we had anticipated.

So the conversation became a real one. We weighed the warmth of wood against the regality of marble — what each material says about a church, its character, its permanence, its beauty. We voted. And we chose marble.

The question now is how intricately we can carve it. Based on our fundraising through the end of summer, we will know what is possible — and we will share final interior designs with the parish in early fall.