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 Louis Henry Sullivan (September 3, 1856 – April 14, 1924) was an American architect, and has been called a "father of skyscrapers" and "father of modernism". He was an influential architect of the Chicago school (architecture), Chicago ...

, one of the seminal architects of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is listed on the US

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

and is designated a Chicago Landmark.

History

The church was commissioned by a growing Orthodox community consisting of Rusyns, Russians, Serbs and Greeks of

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, and stands within the neighborhood known today as Ukrainian Village. The founders of the church were immigrants from

Carpathian Rus' Transcarpathia (, ) is a historical region on the border between Central and Eastern Europe, mostly located in western Ukraine's Zakarpattia Oblast. From the Hungarian Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin, conquest of the Carpathian Basin ...

, Galicia, and the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

. It remains one of only two Orthodox churches servicing the Orthodox-Christian community in Ukrainian Village. Construction work, partly financed by a donation of 4,000 roubles or ~$2,700 from

Tsar Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...

St.

Nicholas II of Russia Nicholas II (Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov; 186817 July 1918) or Nikolai II was the last reigning Emperor of Russia, Congress Poland, King of Congress Poland, and Grand Duke of Finland from 1 November 1894 until Abdication of Nicholas II, hi ...

, and Louis Sullivan donated part of his fee ~$1,250 and the elaborate Healy & Millet manufactured chandelier (value unknown). The church retains many features of 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". Archival references point to a small wooden church in the Siberian village of Tatarskaya as a particular inspiration for the final design. To this traditional Russian basis of the overall design, Sullivan added decorative elements more characteristic of his own larger corpus of work, influenced by the

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

and

Arts and Crafts The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the Decorative arts, decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and ...

movements, as seen, for example, in the decorative design over the western entrance to the church, the window and roof framing, and the bell tower and cupolas. 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 member of the Orthodox community in Chicago. It serves as the cathedral church of the Diocese of Midwest of the

Orthodox Church in America The Orthodox Church in America (OCA) is an Eastern Orthodox Christian church based in North America. The OCA consists of more than 700 parishes, missions, communities, monasteries and institutions in the United States, Canada and Mexico. In ...

. Archbishop Daniel (Brum) is rector of the Cathedral and archbishop of the diocese. Priest Alexander Koranda serves as Cathedral Dean.

Services

The Divine Liturgy is celebrated at 9:30 am on Sundays, following singing of the Hours from 9:10 am. The Liturgy is also celebrated at 9:30 am on Feast days. Vigil is held at 5:00 pm on Saturdays.

Tours

Tours are held almost every other Saturday or by special appointment.

Gallery

Image:Louis Sullivan - exterior - Holy Trinity Russian & Greek Orthodox Church, 1121 North Leavitt Street, Chicago, Cook County, IL.jpg, Holy Trinity Cathedral, exterior,

Image:Louis Sullivan - interior - Holy Trinity Russian & Greek Orthodox Church, 1121 North Leavitt Street, Chicago, Cook County, IL.jpg, Holy Trinity Cathedral, interior,

Image:Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church 071215.jpg, Interior showing the

iconostasis In Eastern Christianity, an iconostasis () is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a Church (building), church. ''Iconostasis'' also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed anywhere withi ...

File:Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral Chicago 2015-76.jpg, File:Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral Chicago 2015-79.jpg, File:Holy Trinity Orthodox CathedralChicago 2015-78.jpg, File:Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral Chicago 2015-80.jpg, File:Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral Chicago 2015-77.jpg,

References

External links