Our Story

Introduction to the 1st Greek Orthodox Church in Greenville, SC and St. George Archives

With only 11 Greek families, our small Greek Community was incorporated in 1929 and became known as The Greek Community of Greenville, Inc. With a strong desire to sustain their religion and their language they set permanent foundations for the future.

In 1931, the community purchased a house on DeCamp Street to be used for church services and Sunday School and adopted a name: St. George Greek Orthodox Church. Their dreams were to become a reality. This holy house reached its limits in the late 1930s when the community grew to 30-40 families.

His Eminence Archbishop Athenagoras, the then Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America, chose the location where the new church was to be built. His Eminence chose and appointed Reverend Aemil Pouleropoulos to serve in the position of Priest for the Greek Orthodox Communities of Greenville, SC, Spartanburg, SC, and Asheville, NC.

Construction of the new church began in 1941, with special permission from the U.S. Government. Because of the scarcity of steel in the Second World War, the church was built entirely of wood.

The new Greenville, SC church, completed in 1942, would seat 260 people. It was the pride and joy of the Greek Community.

Since the first Greek settlers came to Greenville, education was Paramount. It was vital to continue to teach our children their heritage and faith.

As our community continued to grow, a need for a new community center was felt. Construction for our new Hellenic Center began in the early 1980s. It provided facilities for our youth, classrooms for a growing Sunday School and Greek School, and additional space which enhanced our community’s increasing needs. The Greek Orthodox community still continued to grow.

In May 1993, the church that the St. George Parish had worshiped in for 50 years was torn down to build yet a larger church– a beautiful edifice named the Cathedral of South Carolina.

Upon its completion, with our first service held in December 1995, our new house of worship was dedicated: The St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral of South Carolina. The past is empty without an instrument to continue the legacy it bestows. Our community has been blessed with a rich resource to carry on the dream of our parents and their parents, and to make those dreams a reality for the future.