The Greek Orthodox Community of St Barnabas was established in 1965. The initial liturgical life of the community took place in the hall of St Michael’s Anglican Church, Wood Green and later in St Mark’s Anglican Church in Gladstone Avenue. The Greek Orthodox Cathedral of St Mary, Trinity Road, was then purchased by the community in 1970.
Our Cathedral of the Dormition was founded initially by the Methodists, in the year 1871, under the name of the Church of the Holy Trinity. In the year 1970, the Community of St Barnabas purchased the Cathedral for £15,000.00 and dedicated it then to the Dormition of the Mother of God, latterly leading to the commonly used name for the community ‘Panagia.’ Subsequently the Community purchased the vicarage and some surrounding buildings. During the following 16 years, the Cathedral was decorated and adapted accordingly to serve the worshipping needs of the faithful.
The original Consecration of the Cathedral took place in 1980 by the then Archbishop Methodios Fouyias. On 2nd February 1986 – the feast of the Presentation of our Lord – the Cathedral and attached buildings were subject to an arson attack and destroyed. The following year with the efforts and hard work of the then Bishop of Tropaeou Gregorios Theocharous and his team of volunteers, the Cathedral building was restored and has been in use ever since. On the 21st May 2023 the restoration process came to its completion with the recent service of Consecration – a joyous and momentous occasion in the history of the community and Archdiocese.
In 1988, Bishop Gregorios was elected as Archbishop of Thyateira and Great Britain. His work was continued by the then Archimandrite and later Bishop of Tropaeou Athanasios, assisted by the experienced Protopresbyter Soterios Panayiotopoulos and their assistants. This endeavour has continued from the 1st of March 2022 by the present leader of the Community, His Grace Bishop Iakovos of Claudiopolis, with the clergy, Protopr. Panayiotis Dik, Revd Petros Georgiou Deacon Gregory Florides and their devoted co-workers, Chairs of Committees and their members.