Cleveland, June 3, 2025
Photo: wkyc.com
Despite the mounting costs of the restoration project at St. Theodosius Cathedral (OCA Diocese of the Midwest) in Cleveland one year on, the priest and people remain hopeful and faithful.
Returning the church to its former glory after the devastating fire of May 28, 2024, is a daunting task, but “it’s about being faithful, flexible, patient, resilient,” said Archpriest Jan Cizmar, cathedral dean, in an interview with Fox8 in Cleveland.
“It’s about faith, definitely. In the entire process, there are many discoveries and things that we did not anticipate before,” he added.
St. Theodosius Cathedral, built in 1911–1912, is formally recognized as a Cleveland landmark and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The church that preceded the cathedral was built with donations from Royal Martyr Nicholas II of Russia.
Restoration costs were initially estimated at $1 million, but it quickly became clear that the damage and the necessary repairs were far more extensive—now totaling more than $10 million.
The fire was devastating to the roof and upper walls. The central dome was in danger of collapsing and had to be removed, otherwise the authorities would have ordered the demolition of the entire church.
At the same time, most of the church’s frescos and iconography survived the fire, smoke, and water damage.
“I can see the beauty. I can still incense here. Not the smoke, but the incense from our services. So, you see the damage but you still feel the Spirit,” commented Fr. Jan.
Photo: gofundme.com
Unfortunately, the church’s insurance will not cover the full extent of the costly repairs, thus a fundraiser campaign has been launched. Between tithe.ly and GoFundMe platforms, the cathedral has raised just over $145,000 of the $1 million goal.
For members of the renovation team, the project has become a personal crusade, says Fox8, thus they have reached out for assistance to the cast of the Deer Hunter, the classic 1978 film featuring Robert De Niro and Christopher Walken that included scenes filmed at the cathedral.
Learn more about the restoration plans on the diocesan website.
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