Fire at Saint Theodosius of Chernigov Cathedral in Cleveland, where “The Deer Hunter” was filmed
Built in 1913 on the initiative of the St Nicholas Society, the Cathedral of St Theodosius of Chernigov in Cleveland is rightly counted among the finest examples of Russian church architecture in the United States. Among the donors to its construction was Nicholas II. The prototype for the church was the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, photographs of which were supplied to the American architect Frederick Baird by the parish rector, Archpriest Vasily Lisenkovsky.
Worldwide fame came to the cathedral after the release of the film The Deer Hunter in 1978. A number of scenes featuring Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep and Christopher Walken were shot in the cathedral. In the plot, the characters are members of the Russian emigration. A real priest and a real church choir took part in the filming.
Last week a fire broke out in the Orthodox Cathedral of St Theodosius of Chernigov in Cleveland. The roof of the church and one of its domes suffered most. Restoration work on the cathedral is already under way. I wish this landmark of Russian church architecture abroad a swift recovery.
