EULESS, Texas (RNS) — Vladimir Grygorenko’s work as an iconographer has taken him to high places, literally and spiritually.
Specifically, for the past four months, he’s spent long hours 65 feet above the altar in St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church’s cupola, or dome, painting an iconic representation of the ascension of Christ.
His goal: complete the Euless church’s sacred painting by Pascha, or Easter.
“I would love for everybody to come to see what happens,” Grygorenko said of the project. “I want to see it myself from below. It looks nice from here, but how it will look from downstairs … (is) hopefully nice.”
Born in Ukraine in 1965, when it was under Soviet Union control, Grygorenko didn’t grow up religious. But while studying mechanical engineering in college, he found himself drawn to Byzantine-style religious art and started developing a Christian faith.
Baptized in 1991, the engineer-by-trade began to practice iconography, or the art of creating depictions of icons or sacred images of a holy person or event. His artistic skill has taken him to Christian Orthodox churches around the world.
Artist Vladimir Grygorenko works atop scaffolding inside St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church in Euless, Texas, March 6, 2025. (Photo by Marissa Greene)
Grygorenko’s representation of the ascension of Christ is the first phase of an iconography project for the North Texas church. When finished, the artistic depiction of Christ ascending in glory, surrounded by Theotokos, or Mary, the angels and the 12 apostles, will be on view for all worshippers and visitors to see. And under the top of the cupola, the dome will include depictions of 16 prophets.
The second phase of the project will involve creating iconography for the four pendentives, or the curved, triangular architectural elements that support the cupola. The four corners will depict the four evangelists: Matthew, Luke, Mark and John.
Altogether, the artwork aims to create a visual narrative “ …