A Chicago Landmark Is Born

An architectural gem and Chicago landmark, Holy Trinity was designed by architect Louis Sullivan and constructed with funds from Czar Nicholas II to serve Chicago?s Russian Orthodox community.It is one of the only intact Louis Sullivan-designed churches in the world, and one of a small number of the architect?s buildings surviving in Chicago.

By the time Louis Henry Sullivan was asked to design the cathedral and parish structures, he had earned a reputation for being one of America?s most renowned architects. In designing this church, Sullivan undoubtedly studied the designs of numerous contemporary Russian churches, however, archival references show that a small wooden church in the village of Tatarskayain Siberia served as inspiration for his final design.

The cornerstone for the new church was laid on March 31, 1902 and the new structure was consecrated by Bishop Tikhon of the North American mission of the Russian Orthodox Church on March 25, 1903. (BishopTikhon upon his return to Russia was elected as patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Russia and later died as a confessor to Christ.) Holy Trinity was designated a cathedral in 1923. In the late1970's the cathedral building and rectory were listed on the National Register and received official designation as a Chicago landmark.