At the weekend my wife and I saw for the umpteenth time My Big Fat Greek Wedding. I don't think it's possible to see that film too many times. There's something in it for everyone, including Michael Constantine telling one and all that every English word has a Greek root (I didn't know my father was a consultant for the film!), a slightly daft γιαγιά (grandmother), an unlikely cross-cultural romance, and familiar shooting locations in Chicago and Toronto. One such location I easily recognized the first time I saw the film. It's the church where Ian was baptized and where he and Toula were subsequently married.
Holy Trinity ROCOR
In real life it's Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church, and it's located on Henry Street in Toronto. If you walk north on Spadina Avenue towards College Street, you will see this church at the end of Cecil Street to your right. I used to walk that way every day in 1978 and '79, when I was living near Queen and Spadina. The building caught my eye, and one sunday I decided to satisfy my curiosity by dropping in during the celebration of the liturgy. Aware that I was a stranger, I did not remain very long, hovering close to the door. But I recall the all-male choir blending perfectly as it sang in what I assume was Old Church Slavonic. Of course, there were no pews or instruments, only the haunting beauty of men's voices joined in praising the Lord. I am told that the building was once a synagogue. Incidentally, the congregation itself is part of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, which broke with the Moscow Patriarchate at the time of the Bolshevik Revolution but is on the verge of re-establishing communion. Next time you see the film, look for this church.
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