| Cathedral of the Transfiguration Cathedraltown Markham, Ontario | |
The Cathedral of the Transfiguration
|
|
| Denomination | Eastern Catholic Church |
|---|---|
| Administration | |
| Parish | Ontario |
| Diocese | Roman Catholic Diocese of Ontario |
| Province | Canada |
The Cathedral of the Transfiguration is a Slovak Byzantine Rite Roman Catholic former cathedral located in a lot that used to be part of the Victoria Square community in Markham, Ontario, Canada. However, upon urbanization and development, the cathedral is now unofficially designated as part of Cathedraltown in Markham, Ontario, Canada as it stands right in the centre of Cathedraltown and serves as the landmark of the Cathedraltown community. The cathedral was built in a rural area north of the city of Toronto and was built to serve Slovak Catholics throughout the Greater Toronto Area. The Cathedral was conceived and funded by Stephen B. Roman, a Slovak immigrant to Canada who had built up the Denison Mines corporation. Roman both funded and designed the building, modeling the structure on the church in Velky Ruskov, the Slovak village he was raised in. The cathedral was built on a donated portion of his Romandale estate.
Among its features is the world's largest three bell carillon, with the French made bells by the Fonderie Paccard, weighing 32,000 pounds, and 300 cm diameter. The mosaics are reputed to contain about 5 million pieces. The cathedral was built to hold 1000 worshipers serving a community of about 5000 Byzantine Rite Catholics in the GTA and 35,000 across Canada. The central tower rises 63 metres (about 20 storeys) and is topped by a gold onion dome. The church was designed by Donald Buttress, a renowned architect whose claim to fame is overhauling Westminster Abbey.[1] It is a significant landmark east of the 404 highway.
Contents |
Work began on the Cathedral in 1984. That year it became the first church in North America to be consecrated by a Pope, when John Paul II blessed the cornerstone during his trip to Canada. Construction took several years, and ran significantly over the original budget of $13 million dollars.
Roman died of a heart attack in 1988, and did not see the cathedral completed. His funeral service was held in the partially completed structure, with 1600 people in attendance.
On September 24, 1998, Bishop Cornelius Pasichny, OSBM, was enthroned as the new Eparch for Ukrainian Catholics in Eastern Canada (Eparchy of Toronto), with the ceremony taking place at the church.[2]
In 2006, the building was still incomplete, with estimates that completion would take another 10 years.[3]
The exterior of the Cathedral was used in the 1995 movie In the Mouth of Madness, where it portrayed the Black Church located in Hobb's End. It can also be seen on some of the posters promoting the film.
While originally built in a rural area some distance from the city, the rapidly growing Toronto suburbs now come near to the structure. In 2004 work began on Cathedraltown, a housing development of more than 1200 structures that will surround the cathedral by 2009.
In 2006, Eparch John Pazak, head of Byzantine rite Slovak Catholics in Canada, removed the blessed sacrament and the altar stone from the structure. The bishop has also suspended permission for his priests to celebrate Mass in the former cathedral and asked the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto not to permit Roman rite priests to celebrate Mass there.
Pazak said he was unable to arrive at a working relationship with the Slovak Greek Catholic Church Foundation, which owns the property. Roman's sudden death in 1988 left the cathedral in the hands of his heirs, principally Helen Roman-Barber, who sit on the board of the foundation.
It was the only Cathedral in Canada not owned by its bishop, or in effect by the diocese it represents. No church can be a cathedral if it's not the seat of a bishop, said Pazak.[3]
Reports indicate that the last service was June 25, 2006 with the building last open to public in 2009, to celebrated the completion of an 82-foot mosaic addition to the building.[4][5]