History

The Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church of Winchester, Virginia has served the Orthodox Christian faithful of the Northern Shenandoah Valley for more than fifty years, established to bring the ancient liturgical and sacramental tradition of the Eastern Church to the historic apple-growing valley at the northern end of the Blue Ridge. Winchester, one of the oldest cities in Virginia and a city that changed hands seventy-two times during the Civil War, became home to an Orthodox Christian community that has endured and grown through the decades, today comprising approximately one hundred families representing several different ethnic and cultural groups.

The parish is dedicated to the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, the great feast celebrated each August 15 when the Orthodox Church commemorates the falling asleep of the Virgin Mary and her translation, body and soul, to the heavenly realm. The theological richness of that dedication, connecting the community to one of the Twelve Great Feasts of the Orthodox calendar, has shaped the parish's identity from its founding.

The church at 1700 Amherst Street reflects the architectural character of the Orthodox Christian tradition, its interior adorned with icons and sacred artwork that give the worship space its distinctive Byzantine character and create an atmosphere of reverence for the faithful who gather there. The parish community, drawn from Greek, Serbian, Lebanese, Russian, Ukrainian, and American backgrounds, reflects the universal character of the ancient faith as it takes root in the historic and scenic communities of the Northern Shenandoah Valley.

The Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church at 1700 Amherst Street in Winchester serves the Orthodox Christian faithful of the Northern Shenandoah Valley as a parish of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of New Jersey within the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.