While traveling through almost any country of the Old World, you can find among the city's Catholic churches and cathedrals at least one Orthodox church as well. Italy is no exception — in 1985 Milan acquired its own Orthodox parish.
The driving force behind its appearance was Father Dimitry, who before entering the priesthood bore the name Giuseppe Fantini. It was he who rented the premises for the church and personally painted most of the icons dedicated to Saints Seraphim of Sarov and Sergius of Radonezh. The first liturgy in this church was held in November 1985, and a month later Father Dimitry officially became the rector of the church.
Over time, not only Russians but also Bulgarians, Greeks, Ukrainians, Serbs, and other residents of Slavic countries began coming to the Orthodox church. In 1996, the city authorities allocated the church its own premises in the historic center of Milan — exactly where it is located today.
From the outside, the church building is done in a rather atypical architectural style for Orthodoxy. That is because the Chapel of St. Vincent used to be located here. Today, inherently Catholic and Orthodox motifs are organically intertwined inside. In short, it will be interesting to stop by not only for truly devout parishioners, but also for any traveler interested in the blending of cultures and religions.
