St. Mary's Cathedral (Minneapolis) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St. Mary's Orthodox Cathedral |
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St. Mary's in Minneapolis, seen from the northwest
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| 45°0′18″N 93°15′36″W / 45.00500°N 93.26000°W | |
| Location | 1701 Fifth Street N.E., Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Orthodox Church in America |
| Website | http://www.stmarysoca.org/ |
| History | |
| Founder(s) | Alexis Toth |
| Consecrated | 1906 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Boehme and Cordella |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Diocese of the Midwest |
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St. Mary's Orthodox Cathedral is a beautiful church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is also known as the Cathedral of the Protection of the Holy Virgin. This church is part of the Orthodox Church in America. It is one of several Orthodox churches in the Twin Cities area. The church celebrates its special day, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, every year on October 1.
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The History of St. Mary's
The church community has been in this spot since 1887. Back then, people from Slovakia, Carpatho-Rus, and Ukraine built the first wooden church here. Today, the church includes descendants of those first families. It also welcomes people from all backgrounds across the Twin Cities. Many people have joined the Orthodox Christian faith over the years. This shows how diverse the church and Minnesota are.
Building the Cathedral
The first wooden church burned down in 1904. The church members decided to build a bigger, stronger church. They used steel and stone for the new building. This is the same building that stands today.
The church was designed by Victor Cordella, a local architect. He used a style called Russian Baroque. This style was popular for Russian churches in the early 1900s. The design looks similar to the Dormition Orthodox Cathedral in Omsk, Russia.
The new cathedral in Minneapolis was officially opened in 1906. A very important person, Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow, led the ceremony. Monks from the Trinity-St. Sergius Monastery in Russia helped decorate the church. They installed hand-painted icons and carved the iconostasis. An iconostasis is a special screen covered with icons that separates the altar from the rest of the church. Patriarch Tikhon later became a leader of the Orthodox Church in Moscow. He is remembered as a saint who helped build the Orthodox Church in North America.
Keeping the Church Strong
St. Mary's Cathedral is now over 100 years old. Recently, the outside of the building was repaired. This work helps make sure the church stays strong for many years. New icons were added inside the church in 2012 and 2015. The church hopes to add even more icons in the future. These icons make the church a more beautiful place for worship.
The First Priest
The very first priest at this church was Saint Alexis Toth. He served at St. Mary's from 1889 to 1893. Saint Alexis Toth was later recognized as a saint in 1994. He helped establish the church community. This community eventually became part of the Orthodox Church in America Diocese of the Midwest. When the original wooden church burned down in 1904, the community had grown to about 900 people.
