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ProNet Client Project Profile: Parish of St. Sophia – Valley Forge, PA

In honor of Easter Monday, we’d like to give a shoutout to a/e ProNet client CJK Design Group of San Francisco, California.

For CJK’s Founder and Principal, Christ J. Kamages, Architecture is spiritual work. The deep Christian Orthodox traditions of the Kamages family led Christ to consider a career in the priesthood. But an apprenticeship with Christopher Kantianis, AIA in Boston in the 1960s exposed him to architecture, design, and Byzantine theories and styles. An MIT science fair award for Byzantine Architecture, where he elegantly demonstrated how to place a round dome on a square base, permanently sealed his career and life mission. (Full Bio for Christ Kamages)

Kamages and his Design Team have a proven record of over two-hundred successfully completed projects. They stand ready to provide premier services that are reflective of each client’s vision and aspirations. Their deep appreciation of the spiritual diversity of their clients, their traditions and aspirations, has a major impact on CJK’s design approach and sensibility. (Full Vision for CJK Design Group)

On March 10, the Dome & Drum, Pendentives and Apse of the new Parish of St. Sophia in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania were revealed to a crowd of spectators. The impressive Byzantine temple was designed by a/e ProNet client CJK Design Group of San Francisco, California. Dr. George Kordis, the internationally renowned Iconographer, was present to give a short talk on the theological significance of the iconography inside the dome. The next day, the Parish blessed the 6th Century Justinian-inspired Crosses, also designed by CJK Design Group, and raised them into position over the enormous copper domes.

More details about the project, including photos of the dazzling iconography, can be found at PROCESS, CJK’s blog.

Congratulations to the Parish of St. Sophia on a spectacular new facility, and congratulations to CJK Design Group on a design both functional and beautiful, which stands as a beacon of the Orthodox faith.