Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Cathedral and Rectory - Chicago, IL
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adgorn
N 41° 54.108 W 087° 40.926
16T E 443423 N 4639098
Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral is the Cathedral Church of the Orthodox Church in America Diocese of the Midwest. It is one of only two churches designed by Louis Sullivan, one of the seminal architects of the 20th century.
Waymark Code: WM6QZM
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 07/11/2009
Views: 5
From Wikipedia:
"The church was commissioned by the growing Russian congregation of Chicago, Illinois and sits on the outskirts of what is known today as Ukrainian Village. It remains one of only two Orthodox Churches servicing the orthodox community in Ukrainian Village. Construction work, partly financed by Tsar St. Nicholas II of Russia, lasted from 1899 to 1903. The church retains many features of the Russian provincial architecture, including an octagonal dome and a frontal belltower. It is believed that the emigrants wished the church to be "remindful of the small, intimate, rural buildings they left behind in the Old World"[3] Actually, the church would have passed unnoticed in the Russian countryside, if it were not for Sullivan's hallmark modern sensibility. The cathedral's interior is based on the St Volodymyr's Cathedral in Kiev. The church is highlighted in numerous books on church architecture, among them "Chicago Churches: A Photographic Essay" by Elizabeth Johnson (Uppercase Books Inc, 1999) as well as "The Spiritual Traveler's Guide to Chicago and Illinois"" by Marilyn Chiat (HiddenSpring 2004). The church was consecrated by St.Tikhon of Moscow and was under the spiritual guidance of St. John of Chicago (Kochurov) during its early years.
The church was elevated to a cathedral in 1923, and stands today a proud member of the Orthodox community in Chicago. It serves as the Cathedral Church of The Orthodox Church in America diocese of the Midwest with Archbishop Job serving as its rector and Archpriest John Adamcio as its dean. It maintains daily services with a faithful following."
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"Renowned architect Louis Sullivan was asked to design the church building and its adjacent rectory after an Orthodox chapel at the Russian Empire’s exhibit at the Columbian Exposition in 1893 garnered much public interest. The church was built with funds from the Orthodox Church of Russia, Tsar Nicholas the second, and gifts from many wealthy Chicagoans, including Charles R. Crane and Harold McCormick. “Sullivan felt so strongly about the project that he donated to the Cathedral more than half his fee,” said Archpriest John S. Adamcio, the Cathedral’s dean."
Designated a Chicago Landmark on March 21, 1979 - see (
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Fortunately the church has recently undergone much needed restoration. See (
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