The iconography of the Greek Orthodox Church holds a significant place in the religious, cultural, and artistic heritage of the Orthodox Church. This goes back even to the origins of Christian artistic expression. Icons are visual representations of divine individuals and truths, which play a crucial role in the liturgical and devotional life of the Orthodox Church. Some think of icons as “windows into heaven.” Over time, these sacred images suffer from degradation due to their age, environmental conditions, and human handling. The restoration and cleaning of iconography thus damaged or soiled is a meticulous, painstaking, and yet a reverent process.
Nearly 100 years ago, Fr. John Zographos, priest at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Cleveland, wrote 30 icons of various religious figures to be used in the Church’s iconostas. These icons were appropriately installed in the Church, where they were mounted from 1929 until 1968. In the 1960s, Archbishop Iakovos initiated a policy concerning the height of the iconostas in our churches. Many churches had built their iconostases all the way to the ceiling, thus blocking the view of the Platytera – the Virgin Mary and Child Jesus – iconography installed behind and above the church altar.
In the case of Annunciation Church, more than 30 icons had to be taken down to conform to the new policy. Sadly, at that time there were no best practices for prudent icon storage. Unaware that these delicate items required special cleaning and storage after 40 years on display, the removed icons, dirty with soot and wax, were stored in any available areas without protection. After an additional 25 years of unprotected storage they were in poor shape, some with paint chipping away and some with torn canvases. Some were unrestorable.
Concerned members of the church brought the need to restore the removed and forgotten iconographic panels to the attention of the newly-formed Hellenic Preservation Society. In 1992, HPS underwrote the cost to fully restore 30 icons from Annunciation Church in Cleveland, Ohio. Expert art restorers Susan and Norbert Jaworowski, who had done restorations across the U.S. and in Europe, were selected for the Annunciation icon restorations.
The restorations were slow, painstaking and expensive work, but one of the primary benefits of the restorations is the revitalization of their spiritual impact on the faithful. Insofar as icons are considered windows to the divine, their restoration ensures the Church’s commitment to preserving its sacred traditions. Additionally, they also can attract interest from the wider public, promoting greater appreciation for Orthodox Christian art and traditions.
At this writing in 2025, more than 30 years have passed since the icons were restored. Since their restoration, the Annunciation icons have been displayed selectively on various occasions, including the Annunciation Church’s 2012 Centennial Celebration. In 2024, the icons were professionally re-photographed by David Porter Photography at no cost for posting on this site.
HELLENIC PRESERVATION SOCIETY 