History

The Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Cross of Belmont, California serves the Orthodox Christian faithful of the San Francisco Peninsula from its home at 900 Alameda de las Pulgas, one of the largest and most active Greek Orthodox parishes in the Bay Area. The parish grew from the postwar expansion of the Greek Orthodox community across the San Francisco Peninsula as families settled in the communities south of San Francisco along the Caltrain corridor, where the established Bay Area parishes were too distant to serve their spiritual needs conveniently.

Holy Cross has grown over the decades into a community of more than 700 active families, making it one of the largest parishes in the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco. The church is particularly distinguished for the quality of its mosaic iconography, described by parishioners and visitors alike as among the most spectacular in North America, covering the interior walls and dome with a rich program of Byzantine sacred art that gives the sanctuary an immediate and powerful visual identity.

The parish sustains a full and active community life across every age group, with youth programs from Sunday School through high school, Greek dance instruction, sports programs, women's Bible study, icon-painting classes, and inquirers' programs for those exploring the Orthodox faith. The annual Greek Festival over Labor Day weekend has become one of the most beloved Hellenic cultural events on the Peninsula, drawing visitors from across the Bay Area for homemade Greek food, music, and the hospitality that has defined the Holy Cross community for generations.

Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church at 900 Alameda de las Pulgas in Belmont serves the Orthodox Christian faithful of San Mateo County as a parish of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco within the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.