History

Greek immigrants began arriving in Wisconsin in the early part of the twentieth century, seeking economic opportunity and refuge from oppression and war in Greece. For years, the Greek Orthodox faithful of Madison had no parish of their own, and made the long drive to Milwaukee, Rockford, or Fond du Lac to worship. After World War II, an army base in Madison had provided Orthodox servicemen with church services, but when the base was dismantled that ministry ended. The loss of that worship space propelled a group of Orthodox families to organize in earnest. In 1951, Assumption Greek Orthodox Church was incorporated, with the first services held at Grace Episcopal Church on Capitol Square. The community soon purchased the Bashford Methodist Church building at the corner of East Washington Avenue and North 7th Street, which remains its home today.

Critical to the church's transformation was Alex Frunza, a prominent Romanian-born architect and parishioner who led the renovation of the building and contributed his own funds to the effort. Under his direction the dome, apse, nave, and iconostasis were remodeled, the Sunday School gained new space, and a Bishop's throne was constructed, giving the former Methodist building the character of a traditional Orthodox church. By 1963 a choir was established and necessary altar furnishings acquired. In the years that followed the community deepened its organizational life considerably: an annual community picnic was launched that grew into the beloved Greek Fest Plus; the Hellenic Women's Society became a Philoptochos chapter; an Orthodox Students Society was organized for University of Wisconsin students; and a parish house was purchased. Professor Michael Petrovich, a Serbian musicologist and liturgical music composer at UW-Madison, was recruited to lead the choir, leaving a legacy of liturgical music that the choir carries forward to the present day.

In 2016 the parish undertook a significant renovation and expansion, having acquired adjacent land previously occupied by a commercial building. The project added three Sunday school classrooms, a large foyer with a staircase leading to the sanctuary, and an expanded social hall, while also creating additional parking. Throughout, resident iconographer David Giffey brought his expertise to the Byzantine-style interior, selecting and applying icons that complete the church's sacred character.

The Assumption Greek Orthodox Church at 11 North 7th Street in Madison serves the Orthodox Christian faithful of south-central Wisconsin as a parish of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago, a multi-cultural community of Greeks, Serbians, Russians, Ukrainians, Croatians, Arabs, Armenians, and Ethiopians who together carry forward the faith its founders built in the capital city more than seven decades ago.