This church is located in a secluded area just outside of St. Augustine, Florida.
St. Anastasia Catholic Church’s present church was dedicated on Sept. 26, 1999, by John J. Snyder, Bishop of St. Augustine. The design of the church reflects the Spanish heritage of St. Augustine with its coquina exterior, Spanish tile roofs and the decorative stone facings.
I recently learned how the origins of iconography came about. The main purpose of icons were to depict a verse or story from the Bible. Since most people couldn’t read, original icons were created so the common person could “read” the Bible.
The first thing that captures your eyes when you enter the church is the beautiful and richly colored stained-glass window ‘icons’ that surround you.
Starting to the left, you see depicted Genesis and the creation, to its right is Moses and the Commandments. Then, the Annunciation, the Wedding at Cana.
My eyes were drawn to the immediate right of the altar in the depiction of Jesus calming the seas. This is one of my favorite verses – Matthew 8:23-27. I can relate so well to it. So many times through my life I try to fight “the storm” around me instead of turning to Jesus for help. Jesus showed me in this story that while He looked to be sleeping, He was fully aware of the situation and just waiting for the disciples to think to turn to Him.
This church’s stained glass windows incredibly depict the stories the show. The woman putting her last 2 coins in the collection while Jesus points her out from behind. The Wedding at Cana, as Jesus instructs the servants to fill the jars with water. Each window captured the story they were meant to tell.
The round rose window above the Tabernacle depicts the Resurrection. “Anastasis” in Greek means resurrection. The Angel window between the altar and the tabernacle chapel is of beveled glass and reflects light rays of the morning sun throughout the church.
St. Michael stands in defense just outside the main church building.
