St. Theodosius Orthodox Christian Cathedral Continues Restoration Efforts

May 28, 2025 marked one year since the devastating fire at the historic St. Theodosius Orthodox Christian Cathedral in Cleveland, Ohio. Photo: St. Theodosius Orthodox Christian Cathedral Facebook

CLEVELAND — One year has passed since the May 28, 2024 fire that devastated the historic St. Theodosius Orthodox Cathedral in Cleveland, Ohio.

Notably used for the wedding scene in the 1978 film “The Deer Hunter,” which starred Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep and won Best Picture at the Oscars, the cathedral removed an unstable dome in order to save the structure from having to be completely demolished. 

Recently, the local FOX station featured the parishioners and their restoration work.

Archpriest Jan Cizmar, the cathedral’s dean, told Fox 8 News in Cleveland that the first couple of months after the fire were like “being lost in the woods.”

“It’s about faith,” he said in a televised interview. “In the entire process, there are many discoveries and things that we did not anticipate before.”

According to a May 31 update from the Orthodox Church in America’s Diocese of the Midwest, the renovation process has officially begun. The initial work includes mold remediation and air conditioning system removal, which will prepare the way for the first of four phases of restoration that are focused on the roof and domes.

There will be five stages total, according to a May 30 meeting agenda between St. Theodosius Orthodox Cathedral and Bostwick Design Partnership, and those stages are:

1. Primary Structural Framing Restoration
2. Dome Framing and Supports Restoration
3. HVAC and Electrical Restoration
4. Secondary and Tertiary Structural, Roofing
5. Interior Restoration 

According to Signal Cleveland, the fire affected the west and north sides of the building, and damage to the main dome was so extensive that it had to be removed and scrapped.

Replacing the large dome, two medium domes, two small domes and a barrel vault were approved as part of the restoration plans.

The nave suffered smoke and water damage, and as a result church services are being held in the church hall.

“I can see the beauty,” Cizmar told Fox 8 News. “I can still smell incense here. Not the smoke, but the incense from our services. You see the damage, but you still feel the spirit.”

The current estimated cost of the project is approximately $15 million, and a fire restoration donation campaign can be found here. As of June 3, the campaign has seen more than $111,000 in donations.

The renovation committee has also reached out to the cast of “The Deer Hunter” for assistance.

“We are committed to continuing the 130-year legacy of our parish, the oldest Orthodox church in Cleveland and the oldest Orthodox parish in Ohio,” Cizmar wrote in an update posted by the Diocese of the Midwest. “We will do everything possible to achieve this goal and keep the legacy of faith of our ancestors.”

The full television feature on the parish’s renovation work can be found here.

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