Historic St. Theodosius Cathedral damaged in fire

CLEVELAND, Ohio — St. Theodosius Orthodox Christian Cathedral, located in Tremont just outside downtown Cleveland, reported significant damage after its roof caught fire Tuesday afternoon.

The fire started around 3:30 p.m., and local fire crews responded to put it out to save the temple. Meanwhile, the Cathedral Dean and priest Jan Cizmar, neighbors and clergy began to remove and preserve holy items from the church. 

“As many of you already know our Cathedral was greatly damaged by a fire that started this afternoon. The fire started on the roof for unknown reasons,” Cizmar said in a Facebook post belonging to the church. “I would like to thank the Cleveland fire department and other local fire departments for their help. I also offer my gratitude to the Cleveland police, Tremont West, our neighbors, friends and of course to you, our dear parishioners of our beloved Cathedral.”

The church was constructed between 1911-1912 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the United States. Organized by immigrant Russians living in Tremont in 1896, the parish served the needs of Orthodox Christians and was considered the “Mother Church” for most of the Orthodox Christian churches in today’s northeast Ohio.

The archbishop Daniel of Chicago and the Midwest arrived at the cathedral Tuesday evening to inspect it. 

On Wednesday, the church was being cleared of debris; including the removal of pews as water continued to drip from the ceiling. The church said a service was held by the archbishop on Wednesday morning to pray for the cathedral and parish.