Palmerton, Pennsylvania, has two orthodox churches with the onion-shaped domes. I’ve been with visitors who said that driving into town felt like entering an eastern European village. Many of Palmerton’s immigrants were Ukrainian or Slovakian, and the churches reflected that heritage.
One of the two churches, St. Peter and Paul’s, is clearly visible in a painting by Franz Kline entitled “Palmerton, Pa,” on permanent exhibition in the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
That church suffered declining enrollment for years. The last service was held there three years ago, and earlier this month it was announced that the church had been sold to a private buyer. I hope that buyer respects what she or he has purchased. I’ve been to services in that church; I thought the architecture was inspiring.
In Chico, California, someone bought a church and turned it into a bar. I would hate to see something similar happen to St. Peter and Paul’s.
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