Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception is a Ukrainian Catholic

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations ...

located in the Poplar neighborhood of

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. It is the seat for the Archeparchy of Philadelphia.

History

Ruthenians Ruthenian and Ruthene are exonyms of Latin origin, formerly used in Eastern and Central Europe as common ethnonyms for East Slavs, particularly during the late medieval and early modern periods. The Latin term Rutheni was used in medieval sou ...

, who are

Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

belonging to and following the prayer life of the Byzantine Church and were known as such in the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

, started immigrating in sizable numbers to the United States in the late 1870s. A Ruthenian priest immigrated in 1884 and blessed their first church building in

Shenandoah, Pennsylvania Shenandoah is a borough in Schuylkill County in the Coal Region of Pennsylvania. It is distinct from Shenandoah Heights, which is part of West Mahanoy Township immediately to the north. As of 2021, the borough's population was 4,247. Shenandoa ...

. The earliest immigrants to Philadelphia settled in Northern Liberties between Sixth and Seventh Streets, south of Girard Avenue. They founded Immaculate Conception parish in 1886. In 1964, as plans were being made to replace the 1907 cathedral, several members of the congregation wanted the new church to be built in the suburbs where they lived. Archbishop

Ambrose Senyshyn Ambrose Senyshyn, O.S.B.M, D.D. (February 23, 1903 - September 11, 1976), born in Staryi Sambir, Ukraine, was an Archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Church. On July 10, 1958, he was appointed the first Bishop of Stamford. On August 14, 1961, ...

chose to build on the property where the old church stood hoping that the East Poplar Redevelopment Area would rejuvenate the neighborhood. The

cornerstone The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. Over tim ...

was laid on October 16, 1966 and it contains a stone from

St. Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupation ...

's tomb that

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...

gave to Archbishop Senyshyn.

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

visited the cathedral on October 4, 1979.

Architecture

The cathedral was designed by Julian K. Jastremsky in the

Byzantine Revival Neo-Byzantine architecture (also referred to as Byzantine Revival) was a revival movement, most frequently seen in religious, institutional and public buildings. It incorporates elements of the Byzantine style associated with Eastern and Ortho ...

style and loosely inspired by the

Hagia Sophia Hagia Sophia ( 'Holy Wisdom'; ; ; ), officially the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque ( tr, Ayasofya-i Kebir Cami-i Şerifi), is a mosque and major cultural and historical site in Istanbul, Turkey. The cathedral was originally built as a Greek Ortho ...

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

. The cathedral's central dome is covered with 1/4 inch square ( 1.6129 cm² ) Venetian glass tiles made of 22 karat gold fused in the glass. The dome's interior features a mosaic of the Pantocrator. At the base of the dome there are 32 windows. They depict the coat of arms of the regions of

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...

, the popes, the bishops and the religious orders that contributed to the growth of the Ukrainian Catholic church in the United States. The mosaic on the sanctuary wall features the

Theotokos ''Theotokos'' ( Greek: ) is a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, used especially in Eastern Christianity. The usual Latin translations are ''Dei Genitrix'' or '' Deipara'' (approximately "parent (fem.) of God"). Familiar English translations a ...

. Below the Mother of God is a mosaic of the

Last Supper Image:The Last Supper - Leonardo Da Vinci - High Resolution 32x16.jpg, 400px, alt=''The Last Supper'' by Leonardo da Vinci - Clickable Image, Depictions of the Last Supper in Christian art have been undertaken by artistic masters for centuries, ...

. To the right of that mosaic is one depicting the Emmaus from the

Gospel of Luke The Gospel of Luke), or simply Luke (which is also its most common form of abbreviation). tells of the origins, Nativity of Jesus, birth, Ministry of Jesus, ministry, Crucifixion of Jesus, death, Resurrection of Jesus, resurrection, and Ascensi ...

, to the left is a mosaic of the Visitation of the Holy Trinity from the

Book of Genesis The Book of Genesis (from Greek ; Hebrew: בְּרֵאשִׁית ''Bəreʾšīt'', "In hebeginning") is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its Hebrew name is the same as its first word, ( "In the beginning" ...

. The stained glass windows in the sanctuary portray 12 six-winged angels as described in the

Book of Isaiah The Book of Isaiah ( he, ספר ישעיהו, ) is the first of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible and the first of the Major Prophets in the Christian Old Testament. It is identified by a superscription as the words of the 8th-century B ...

. The Iconostas was designed by Chrystyna Dochwat. In the middle are the Royal Doors on which there is a depiction of the

Annunciation The Annunciation (from Latin '), also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady, or the Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the biblical tale of the announcement by the ang ...

and icons of the Four Evangelists. To the right of the Royal Doors features the icons of Christ the Teacher,

St. Stephen Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ''Stéphanos'', meaning "wreath, crown" and by extension "reward, honor, renown, fame", often given as a title rather than as a name; c. 5 – c. 34 AD) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first ...

the First-Martyr (on the deacon door), and St. John the Baptist. To the left of the Royal Doors portrays icons depicting the Mother of God with the infant Jesus,

St. Michael the Archangel Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...

(on the deacon door) and

St. Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-day Demre ...

the Wonderworker. Above the Royal Doors is the icon of the Last Supper. At the top of the Iconostas is a depiction of the crucifixion and an icon of Christ the King.

Crypt

Below the cathedral sanctuary is the crypt that contains the remains of Philadelphia's Ukrainian Catholic bishops: *Bishop Soter Ortynsky,

OSBM The Order of Saint Basil the Great ( uk, Чин Святого Василія Великого, translit=Chyn Sviatoho Vasyliia Velykoho; la, Ordo Sancti Basilii Magni, abbreviated OSBM), also known as the Basilian Order of Saint Josaphat, is ...

*Archbishop Constantine Bohachevsky *Archbishop

, OSBM *Archbishop Stephen Sulyk

References

{{reflist

External links

Official Cathedral Site

St. Mary's Ukrainian Cemetery
/ 438 Cedar Road, Fox Chase, Pennsylvania. Byzantine Revival architecture in Pennsylvania Roman Catholic churches completed in 1966 Roman Catholic churches in Philadelphia Eastern Catholic churches in Pennsylvania Northern Liberties, Philadelphia Religious organizations established in 1886 Rusyn-American culture in Pennsylvania Ukrainian-American culture in Pennsylvania Ukrainian Catholic cathedrals in the United States Church buildings with domes Eastern Catholic cathedrals in Pennsylvania Cathedrals in Philadelphia Ukrainian-American culture in Philadelphia 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States

History

Architecture

Crypt

See also

References

External links