Created in 2002 this mosaic was done, not
by Mary Gianetsas, but
for Mary Gianetsas, as a memorial. The artist was Eleni Schumacher. The building to the left of the mosaic was built in 1932 as a parish hall, in which services were conducted on the upper floor until the newer Byzantine style church, on the right, was constructed, beginning in 1948. The two buildings were connected by an annex in 1961, upon which this mosaic is mounted, above the main entrance.
Mary grew up in Zagora on the Pelion Peninsula in Greece. She emigrated to the US in 1924 to marry Christo Alexopoulos, who was living in Yakima, Washington. Living in the area between Ellensburg and Yakima, four children were born to the couple, one of whom died shortly after birth. Christo died tragically of botulism in 1934. After Christo's death Mary's business skills came to the fore and she began a career in real estate. In 1938 she remarried to Pete Gianetsas, a railroad employee, and the family moved to Spokane. In Spokane she bought a 25 room house which eventually became known as
Mary's Place. When the Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center, next door, chose to expand they attempted to purchase Mary's house, but she refused. As the hospital expanded and built around her, she continually refused to sell, becoming quite notorious in Spokane for her steadfastness.
The [four story] 25-room house – built in 1906 and formerly owned by the Jordan and then the McAtee families – retains many of its original decorations, including satin wallpaper and, in the kitchen, a pewter sink. It is furnished with vintage pieces and retains its old-world charm. A ballroom remains in the basement. There’s a stained glass window on the landing of the staircase to the second floor. There are six bedrooms on the second floor and another six on the third floor.
From The Spokesman-Review
The house remains to this day, now owned by Mary's children.
The mosaic depicts a double headed eagle carrying a sword and a symbol of Christianity, with a crown above and a shield in the foreground. The double headed eagle is a common theme in heraldry, dating from Roman and Byzantine times and is one of the symbols of the Greek Orthodox Church. Save for the shield, the mosaic is nearly identical to the symbolism found on the flag of the Greek Orthodox Church.
There is, on the wall next to the entrance and below the mosaic, a bronze plaque, inscribed:
MOSAIC - IN LOVING MEMORY OF OUR MOTHER - MARY GIANETSAS