On a late Saturday afternoon traveling up Robertson Boulevard to Rossmore and into Vine, I couldn’t help but notice the variety of people and communities that make up this city. There are pious Jews walking to Sabbath services, shoppers in Little Ethiopia, Coptic churches, and people with a less religious mission hurrying to the evening’s entertainment. I too am wending my way to a place near the heart of Hollywood, another enclave of Russian culture and spirituality, Protection of the Holy Virgin Orthodox Church. As I drew near, taking a slight uphill on Argyle Street, I caught sight of the distinctive, large golden cupola surmounted by the three-bar cross.

Unlike the church in Silver Lake with its space and large garden area (see Golden Domes Part 1), the neighborhood here is compact, apartment dominated. The entrance of the church is in the back, which may seem odd until you learn that the temple must face east, with the sanctuary (altar) at the point. You see, it is facing Paradise, which was “planted in the east” (Gen. 2:8), and the Light that comes from the East. Once at the entrance, you realize just how deep these lots are, bordered by mature trees and apartments. The entire grounds are comprised of three such lots housing the parish center, living quarters, and a modest but lovely garden area just behind the church itself. The church, built in 1952, evokes a California mission-style, but wears it Russian heritage plainly. Stepping into the nave, the eye is flooded with the sense of light, subdued, golden, and the whole shot through with rich colors.

The absence of pews imparts a feeling of space, but one never feels lost in it, but quite the contrary. Large icons lining the walls give one a palpable presence of the saints. Brass candle stands hold little groups of beeswax tapers, underscoring the Orthodox preference for natural elements to be used in worship. The spirit of the church’s founders is clear. In front and to the left is a full sized icon of the new martyrs under Communism. Depicted are clergy and laity, aristocrats and peasants, but in the front rank stand Tsar Nicholas II and his family. Executed by the Bolsheviks, they are now recognized as saints having confessed the faith before their killers.

But old wounds are healing, as of this year, the jurisdiction administering this church reconciled with the Moscow mother church after years of estranged relations. Fr. Martin Person, who spoke with me, is an American convert serving the parish’s English speakers comprising converts and many second and third generation Russians. He alternates with senior priest Fr. Chumakov, a native of Moscow, in conducting services in Slavonic. It is interesting to note that at the church’s consecration, one of the concelebrants was a visiting bishop since glorified as a saint, St. John Maximovitch. He is greatly revered and beloved.

His uncorrupt body lies in a glass-topped sarcophagus in the great cathedral in San Francisco on Geary Street. Besides the rich liturgical life of this church, there is also the social side. The elderly and the young find not only their spiritual nourishment here, but also the corporal, satisfied by piroshki or borscht with sour cream, and other Russian fare prepared by the ladies of the parish. Lunch is served midday after the liturgy. Books and such may be purchased at the small kiosk in the back. Occasional Russian cultural programs take place at the parish center. Contact the church office for their event calendar. You never know when you’ll hit that combination of a tasty plate of blini and a classical piano recital.

The address is 2049 Argyle Avenue, 90068.
It’s just off Franklin Avenue near Vine and the Hollywood Freeway.
You can also phone, (323) 466-4845.

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