St.Theodosius Orthodox Christian Cathedral 733 Starkweather Ave. - Tremont in Cleveland Updated October 30, 2024
St. Theodosius Cathedral is the oldest Orthodox Christian Church in the State of Ohio. It is located in the historic Tremont area of the City of Cleveland.
The historic cathedral was constructed between 1911-1912 and is considered one of the finest examples of Russian church architecture in the United States. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the United States.
The parish of St. Theodosius Orthodox Christian Cathedral was organized by immigrant Russians living in Tremont in 1896. St. Theodosius Cathedral was the "Mother Church" for most of the Orthodox Christian churches in northeast Ohio today.
The cathedral is perhaps best known for its appearance in the 1978 Best Picture winning film, The Deer Hunter with Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, and Meryl Streep.
Ken Kovach has been Choir Master at St Theodosius for 50 years. In this video he gives us a tour of the inside of the Cathedral and shares some thoughts on the Eastern Orthodox Church.
On June 1, 1971 Ken Kovach became Choir Master at the historic St. Theodosius Russian Orthodox Cathedral in the Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland Ohio. In his 50 (and counting) years he has witnessed many things in the Cathedral.
Ken is an Ellis Island Medal Recipient and inductee in the Cleveland International Hall of Fame. He also sings with a Russian folk group called the Cuyahoga Cossacks.
In this video, Ken tells about the Choir Master role and some of these stories. And then he gives a brief example of his great singing voice - singing The Lord's Prayer.
In May 2024 there was an accidental fire caused by roof workers that caused $1 million or so in damages. The main copper dome at the 150 year-old church had to be dismantled. Repair work continues to be done. Lee Batdorff shared these photos of the repair work.
St Theodosius Church repair work photos by Lee Batdorff
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