Aphrodite Peponis

Wednesday

Dec072011

Aphrodite (Faye) is available to speak on: Iconography & Art, Theology of Icons, Icons of the Liturgical Seasons and more. Learn more »

Biography

Aphrodite PeponisAphrodite Peponis has spoken for religious, cultural, and community groups and led tours of historic Orthodox Cathedrals and churches in Chicago over the past 20 years. A respected lecturer and presenter of icons and iconography, she enthusiastically and knowledgeably shares her love for the theology, symbolism, spirituality and artistic attributes of the icon. Her experience, enhanced by travels to churches of Greece, the Holy Land, Mt. Sinai, Istanbul, Cappadocia, Italy, Sicily and most recently, Russia, includes 40 years in various administrative and teaching capacities within the Orthodox Church including nine years as secretary for His Eminence Metropolitan Iakovos of Chicago.

Aphrodite (Faye) has led tours of Chicago Orthodox Cathedrals in conjunction with the Field Museum exhibits “Heaven on Earth” and “Kremlin Gold”, has lectured for the National Hellenic Museum of Chicago and at the Museum of Russian Icons in Clinton Massachusetts. She continues to share tour guide responsibilities with her husband, Harold Peponis, for the Greek Chicago Tour, sponsored by the Chicago Office of Tourism. The tour includes a visit to see and discuss the architecture and iconography of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Chicago built in 1910.

Her study and research continues, including completion of the three year House of Studies program in the Iconology track of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese. Appearing on Chicago TV programs Sanctuary with Lydia Talbot on WTTW and Avila Fine Arts Productions on CAN-TV, she has also published articles on iconography in Christianity and the Arts Magazine, and PRAXIS Magazine, a publication of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Department of Education. She wrote the Iconography Section for the book ECCLESIA — Greek Orthodox Churches of the Chicago Metropolis.

Faye serves on the Board of Directors of FAITH NET, Inc., a Chicago, not-for-profit agency for Orthodox Christian resources, and is a member of the Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society Executive Board. She holds a Bachelors Degree in Education from DePaul University and Masters Degree in Education from Purdue University.