St. Panteleimon FC Logo

Our new Community Football Team, called St. Panteleimon FC, has now got a Logo.

The actual Logo is based on a Fr. Anastasios Salapatas’ idea. The motto “Faith First” was suggested by the footballer Nick Salapatas and all the artistic work was done by a dedicated member of the Community Mrs. Evie Efthimiou, whom we would like to thank very much.

The final and official Logo of our St. Panteleimon FC contains the following details:

1). The name of the Team at the centre.

2). The colours of the Byzantine Empire (purple), of Greece (blue) and of Cyprus (yellow and light bronze).

3). The motto FAITH FIRST, with reference to our Christian Faith as well as to the faith in victory that the players should always have.

4). The symbol of the Holy Cross (referring to our Christian identity).

5). The emblem of our Nation (top left).

6). The ancient column (referring to our Classical Civilization of both Greece and Cyprus).

7). The emblem of the Byzantine Empire, with the ball at its centre (referring to our Greek Orthodox Civilization in connection with football).

8). The year of founding -2015- on the top of the column.

This Logo is to be used for all purposes, in relation to the operation of St. Panteleimon FC.

St. Panteleimon FC

Today it was a very beatufil and sunny day in London. It was also an historic day for our Community. A Football Team has been established with the name of “St. Panteleimon FC”! It will compete at the Cypriot Football League of London, called KOPA!

This endeavour will bring together many people who love the “Beautiful Game”, especially the young generation!

We look forward to welcome all young men and ladies who would like to assist in many different ways, either by playing in the Team, or helping to manage it, or assisting in organising the administration.

We are honoured to have Gary Karsa as the Manager. He was No. 2 Manager at Aston Villa (English Premiership) until recently.

George Frantzeskou will be the Chairman, Chris Andreou the Vice-Chairman, Soteris Merentitis the Public Relations Officer, and Dr. Serafim Kiriakidis & Andreas Hadjithemistou will be members of the Committee.

Savvas Andreou & Panayiotis Argyrou will be the senior sponsors.

We invite all those who would like to play a part in this new and inspiring endeavour to come forward and talk to our Parish Priest Fr. Anastasios, who had actually initiated this whole process.

Virgin Platytera accompanied

The work continuous at our Holy Sanctuary apse. Platytera looks marvellous in her traditional place, at the centre of the apse.  

On either side of Virgin Mary we have painted icons of our Patron Saints, the Great Martyrs Saint Panteleimon and Saint Paraskevi. They both look very beautiful.

Two exceptionally fine angelic figures are also painted on the top of the Platytera’s area, offering salutations to her.

The bright colours, the eyes of all Saints, the inscriptions on the icons, the names of the sponsors, are all so fascinating. A real revelation from above.

The Virgin Platytera, the Holy Angels and our Patron Saints have visited our Church in person. And they are here to stay!

Virgin Platytera of the Heavens

The iconographic work is continuing in our Holy Church. We are now privileged to have on the Sanctuary apse, above the altar, our Virgin Mary - “Platytera” of the Heavens!

The Platytera (Greek: Πλατυτέρα) is facing the congregation directly, depicted almost full length with her hands in the "orans" position, and with the image of Christ as a child in front of her chest, also facing the congregation directly.

Poetically, by containing the Creator of the Universe in her womb, Mary has become “Platytera ton ouranon”, which means: "More spacious than the heavens." This type is sometimes called the "Virgin of the Sign" or "Our Lady of the Sign," a reference to Isaiah 7:14: "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel."

The iconographer Theodoros Vogdanos welcomes everyone who would like to go up on the scaffolding and observe his work from very close.

Icon-painting begun

Today it is an historic day for our Church and Community. We started in the morning with prayers, for the painters and for their valuable and sacred work.

Then the new icons arrived and the senior icon-painter Theodoros Vogdanos, with his assistants Penelope Papademetriou and Stella Kelantonidou, have started the process of placing them on the Sanctuary apse.

The icons have been painted on canvas at the workshop in Thessaloniki and were brought here, ready to be stuck on the walls.

Our Church Committee had given the order to the famous icon-painter Theodoros Vogdanos, of the most beautiful city of Thessaloniki, and he has used all his talents and inspiration, as well as his prayerful faithfulness to our Holy Tradition, in order to produce these excellent results.

Over the next few weeks we shall get a unique experience from this extraordinary kind of work and all the feelings that would be generated will accompany us for ever.