Black and white photograph of the interior of The Annunciation Cathedral.  This photo was taken from the back of the cathedral looking towards the Holy Altar.  The iconostas, or wall made up of large icons, creates the backdrop.  The Epitaphios, a beautifully carved bier topped with a gazebo-like canopy, is centered in front of the iconostas.  It is adorned with a magnificently large spray of fresh flowers and a cross.  Two crosses on tall square posts stand to the left and right of the entrance to the altar and frame the view of the Epitaphios.  Seven rows of pews on each side of the aisle flank a white aisle runner that draws the eye from the bottom of the photograph up to the altar area.

Centrally located near the heart of the city, the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral is the oldest church edifice built specifically as a Greek Orthodox Church in the Metropolis of Chicago.

Established by the original Greek Orthodox community in the city in 1892, the church was built on its present site in 1910 and faithfully models the Byzantine-Renaissance style of architecture.

Throughout its sacramental life the community and her clergy have served every level of society through a wide range or programs and services. As Cathedral for the Metropolis of Chicago, the church serves as a focal point for major Metropolis ministries such as the "Feed the Hungry" program, the Bishop's Task Force on AIDS and Metropolis and Clergy conferences.

As cathedral, the Church of the Annunciation is the seat of the Metropolitan of Chicago, spiritual father and bishop to sixty parishes and two monastic communities in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin.

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