830 N. Franklin Street, Philadelphia — mother church of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia.
The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, in the historic Northern Liberties district of Philadelphia, was erected in 1966 through the effort of Ukrainian Catholics across America. It replaced the old cathedral, purchased in 1907 by Bishop Soter Stephen Ortynsky, the first bishop of Ukrainian Catholics in the United States, and consecrated by Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky in 1910.
Built to reflect authentic Byzantine architecture after the manner of Hagia Sophia, it mirrors the religious and cultural heritage of the Ukrainian people. Basic geometric forms shape the whole building; almost no ornamentation is needed, though the interior embellishments continue to this day.
The limestone and concrete structure is 172 feet long, 128 feet wide, and 106 feet high. Its most striking feature is the central dome, 100 feet in diameter, covered outside with quarter-inch square Venetian glass tiles made of 22-karat gold fused in glass. Inside, a mosaic of the Pantocrator — Christ the Almighty Ruler — crowns the dome. The dome appears to rest on thirty-two windows bearing the coats of arms of the regions of Ukraine and of the popes, bishops, and religious orders who helped the Ukrainian Catholic Church grow in the United States. The zig-zag design above the arches is a wheat motif.
The great mosaic on the sanctuary wall honors the cathedral's patroness, the Theotokos, Birth-Giver of God. Below her mosaic is the Last Supper; to the right, Christ meeting the disciples on the road to Emmaus; to the left, the Old Testament visitation of the Holy Trinity — three angels sharing a meal. The sanctuary windows depict twelve six-winged angels, as described in the prophetic vision of Isaiah.
The icon screen separating sanctuary from nave was designed by Chrystyna Dochwat. At its center stand the Royal Doors with the icon of the Annunciation, and below them the four Evangelists. To the right of the Royal Doors: Christ the Teacher, St. Stephen the First-Martyr, and St. John the Baptist; to the left: the Mother of God with the infant Jesus, St. Michael the Archangel, and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Above the doors is the Last Supper, and at the very top, the crucifixion with St. John and the Mother of God.
Beneath the sanctuary rest three bishops of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in America: Bishop Soter Stephen Ortynsky (d. 1916), Metropolitan-Archbishop Constantine Bohachevsky (d. 1961), and Metropolitan-Archbishop Ambrose Senyshyn (d. 1976).
When Archbishop Senyshyn laid the cornerstone on October 16, 1966, Pope Paul VI had given him a stone from the tomb of St. Peter the Apostle to place within it — a sign of the unity of faith of the Ukrainian people with the Apostolic See. That unity was honored when Pope John Paul II visited the cathedral on October 4, 1979.
Nave, front to back: 90 ft · Nave width at middle: 104 ft · Sanctuary: 42 × 42 ft · Height of dome floor to mosaic: 106 ft · Seating capacity including choir loft: 1,810.
Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral