Saints Cyril and Methodius

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Saturday : 6 pm vespers
Sunday : 9 am matins followed by the Divine Liturgy

The Orthodox parish of Ostend was founded in 2001 under the protection of Saints Cyril and Methodius. This parish belongs to the Archdiocese of Belgium within the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.

After literally years of wandering around, the Ostend Parish has in 2015 thanks to Archpriest Bernard Peckstadt the rector of the parish a permanent place acquired. A long lease was signed for a period of 99 years between the Roman Catholic church factory and the Orthodox parish for the full usufruct of the former Saint Godelieve church, located in the Goedheidstraat in Mariakerke (Ostend).

The St. Godlieve church was built at the time because of the population growth in this part of Mariakerke. In 1936, a chapel was built and on 18 September 1940, the new church was consecrated. It would take until 1959 before a "Parish of Saint-Godelieve" was founded.

The church is built in modern brick architecture according to the plans of architect Smis. The building has a rectangular floor plan and is characterized by the absence of a bell tower. The interior includes stained-glass windows by Cor Westerdujin, carvings by the Philippine artist R. Caquin and murals above the side altars by F. Kieckens.

Within the framework of the redevelopment of church buildings, the Saint Godelieve church was given a long lease to the Orthodox parish. The saints Cyril and Methodius, apostle-like and enlightened of the Slavic peoples, are also the patron saints of Europe. There are about 400 believers of various origins: Greeks, Russians, Romanians, Bulgarians, Poles, and also Belgians. On 14 April 2014, the Flemish Community officially recognised the parish.

Meanwhile, the church has been completely renovated and decorated according to the Orthodox tradition. Typical is the iconostasis or icon wall, which separates the holy of saints from the nave of the church. The iconostasis was made in Greece from oak wood. The icons are written by Georgios Tsitsiklis from Thessaloniki. The choir chairs are made in Thessaloniki. The frescoes at the back of the church are written by Athanasios and Elena Voutsinas also from Thessaloniki. The central chandelier, central in the church, plays a role in the church. Finally there is also a beautiful pulpit which comes from the monastery of Langerbrugge.

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