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Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Cathedral and Rectory
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View of the church in 1906.
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| Location: | 1121 N. Leavitt Street Chicago, Illinois |
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| Built: | 1903 |
| Architect: | Louis Sullivan |
| Governing body: | Orthodox Church in America |
| NRHP Reference#: | 76000693 [1] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP: | March 16, 1976 |
| Designated CL: | March 21, 1979 |
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. It is listed on the US National Register of Historic Places[1] and is designated a Chicago Landmark.[2]
The church was commissioned by the growing Russian congregation of Chicago, Illinois, and stands within the neighborhood known today as Ukrainian Village. It remains one of only two Orthodox Churches servicing the Orthodox-Christian 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 member of the Orthodox community in Chicago. It serves as the Cathedral Church of the Orthodox Church in America with Archpriest John Adamcio as its dean.
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