<P> Noted features include 23 stained glass windows surrounding the dome depicting episodes in the life of Jesus and the saints, hand - painted by Joseph V. Llorens of Atlanta, and the sixty ton altar, made of Pentelic marble . Within the dome are three large chandeliers imported from Czechoslovakia . The altar was originally part of the Greek exhibit at the 1939 New York World's Fair . It, along with the cathedra, choir stalls, and other components were obtained with help from George Frantzis . A new altar of Carrara marble was installed in 1965 . </P> <P> The interior is richly recorated with icons, many by Greek iconographer George Saklaridis . Forty - one icons, sponsored by various members of the parish, were delivered in 1952, with more added in subsequent years . On December 4, 1969, the icon of Saint Nicholas was observed to have drops of moisture, and some consider it a Weeping Icon . </P> <P> The community traces its history to John Cocoris, a native of Leonidio in Arcadia, Greece, who settled in the area in 1896 and became a prosperous sponge diver and trader . The trade attracted Greek immigrants as well as Greeks from other parts of the U.S. By 1907, the population was large enough to support a Greek Orthodox church, a project put under the supervision of Nicholas Peppas, a native of Aegina . The first church, completed that year at a cost of $300 for the land and $3,500 for construction, was a wood frame structure painted white . Rev. Stamatis Koutouzis was appointed the first parish priest . The parish added a school in 1925 . </P> <P> By 1935, the parish had outgrown the first church and began raising funds toward current structure . Construction began in 1941 and was completed in 1943, when it was consecrated by Archbishop Athenagoras (later Patriarch) at Epiphany . St. Nicholas was by then a significant center of community life as well, with major festivals surrounding Epiphany, Greek Independence Day, and Orthodox Easter . Honoring this, in 1975, the Tarpon Springs Board of Commissioners passed a resolution designating the city the "Epiphany City" of the United States . </P>

St nicholas greek orthodox church tarpon springs fl 34689