Historic St. Theodosius Cathedral damaged by fire

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

The fire broke out around 3:30 p.m. and local firefighters intervened to put it out to save the temple. Meanwhile, the cathedral's dean and priest Jan Cizmar, neighbors and clergy began to remove and preserve sacred objects from the church.

“As many of you already know, our cathedral was severely damaged by a fire that broke out this afternoon. The fire started on the roof for unknown reasons,” Cizmar said in a Facebook post belonging to the church. “I want to thank the Cleveland Fire Department and other local fire departments for their assistance. I also offer my gratitude to the Cleveland Police, Tremont West, our neighbors, friends and of course you, our dear parishioners of our beloved Cathedral.

The church was built between 1911 and 1912 and is listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places. Organized by Russian immigrants living in Tremont in 1896, the parish served the needs of Orthodox Christians and was considered the “Mother Church” for most Orthodox Christian churches in Northeast Ohio today.

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 benches as water continued to flow from the ceiling. The church said a service was held by the archbishop on Wednesday morning to pray for the cathedral and the parish.