Indeed, but they were part of the original architecture of relatively few churches and are probably better in protestant churches with different attitudes regarding communion. They would be out of place in many churches with architectural styles more common to us. Churches with side altars for Mary to 1 side and Joseph or another patron on the other would not accommodate them well. As regarding the original story, the details are relatively trivial. What we have lost is what is at the heart of Orthodox worship: a sense of encounter with the Almighty in awe and reverence. Recovering that sense would get us up to an equal footing with them.