St. Vladimir Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral in Parma (Ohio)

St. Vladimir Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral in Parma, Ohio, is a monumental spiritual, cultural, and educational pillar of the Ukrainian American diaspora across the Greater Cleveland metropolitan region. Serving under the archpastoral omophorion of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA (Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople), the cathedral complex at 5913 State Road represents a century-long saga of pioneer immigrant sacrifice, architectural brilliance, and unyielding patriotic devotion to Ukrainian statehood and Christian identity.

Historical Odyssey: From Tremont Steel Mills to Suburban Parma

The parish’s roots date back to the early decades of the twentieth century, when thousands of Ukrainian immigrants arrived in Cleveland to labor in the heavy steel mills, foundries, and chemical manufacturing works of the Cuyahoga River Valley. On October 26, 1924, Reverend Gregory Chomicky celebrated the parish’s inaugural Divine Liturgy in Craftsman Hall on West 14th Street in Cleveland’s historic Tremont district. Immediately following the liturgy, the founding assembly convened to formally incorporate the parish under the heavenly patronage of Saint Vladimir the Great, Equal-to-the-Apostles.

In 1926, the expanding community purchased property on West 11th Street in Tremont, commencing construction on its first permanent church temple, which was dedicated in 1933 under Reverend Michael Zaparyniuk. During the late 1930s and World War II years, Father Peter Bilon oversaw the artistic embellishment of the interior with traditional Byzantine frescoes and founded the parish’s foundational youth and charitable organizations.

Following World War II, a massive wave of Ukrainian political refugees and Displaced Persons (DPs) settled in Cleveland, swelling the parish ranks with educators, artists, scholars, and veterans. Under the visionary pastorate of Father Anthony Beryk in 1954, the parish purchased a 10-acre rural tract on State Road in Parma. Demonstrating characteristic immigrant resourcefulness, the parish purchased the historic Parma City Hall at public auction for $11 in 1957, moved the structure across the city to State Road and Marioncliff Drive for $20,000, and converted it into a functioning chapel and social hall. On May 18, 1958, the first divine service was held at the Parma campus, beginning a vibrant new chapter.

Architectural Splendor and Sacred Artistry

Between 1962 and 1966, the parish broke ground on the present cathedral temple, which was solemnly dedicated and blessed in 1967. The architecture harmoniously fuses modern monumental masonry with ancient Kyivan Rus and Ukrainian Cossack Baroque design principles:

• Triple Golden Baroque Domes: Rising above the central gables are three golden cupolas (banyi) designed by Alexander Nazaretz. Installed in 1974 with aluminum donated by the ALCAN Corporation and updated in 1992 with architectural fiberglass engineered by Michael Dobronos Sr., these domes form a defining skyline feature of Parma.
• The Grand Baptism of Ukraine Mosaic: Unveiled in 1988 to commemorate the Millennium of Christianity in Kyivan Rus (988–1988), the exterior entrance arches house an awe-inspiring 800-square-foot smalti mosaic crafted in Italy by Marchione Studios of Canton, Ohio. It depicts the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Volodymyr and Princess Olha flanking Christ the Pantocrator, set above the waters of the Dnipro River baptism and bearing the golden Ukrainian Trident (Tryzub).
• The Three-Tier Baroque Iconostas: Consecrated in 1972, the sanctuary’s 23-foot-high, three-tier carved iconostas was executed by renowned Ukrainian-American master artists Serhiy Makarenko and Nadia Somko of New York.
• Sacred Wall Iconography: In 1995–1996, Christine Uveges and Nicholas Loya of Eikona Studio in Cleveland completed a comprehensive liturgical iconography program across the sanctuary walls and vaults.

Holodomor Memorial: The Granite Trident

On the cathedral grounds stands the historic Holodomor Memorial, dedicated in 1993 to mark the 60th anniversary of the 1932–1933 Holodomor (man-made famine-genocide engineered by the Soviet communist regime). Carved from dark polished granite in the unmistakable form of the Ukrainian state Coat of Arms (Tryzub), the monument encloses an Orthodox Cross and bears inscriptions in Ukrainian and English honoring the more than seven million victims who perished.

Cultural Center and Educational Legacy

The cathedral complex houses the Taras Shevchenko School of Ukrainian Studies (School of Ukrainian Studies of St. Vladimir Cathedral), directed by Principal Halyna Yarema. Operating for decades on Saturdays, the school educates hundreds of children in the Ukrainian language, literature, geography, history, and sacred choral singing.

Adjoining the cathedral is the Ukrainian Cultural Center (Grand Center), which hosts community banquets, choral concerts, folk dance festivals, and scholarly symposiums. The cathedral also owns and maintains St. Vladimir Ukrainian Orthodox Cemetery in Parma, offering consecrated burial grounds for generations of Orthodox faithful.

Pastoral Leadership and Wartime Relief

The cathedral is pastored by Reverend Michael Hontaruk, alongside Pastor Emeritus Protopresbyter John Nakonachny, whose decades of archpastoral service shaped the parish into a regional powerhouse. Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, St. Vladimir Cathedral mobilized unprecedented aid: coordinating tractor-trailers of medical supplies, tactical trauma gear, hygiene products, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in emergency humanitarian aid distributed through the Consistory of the UOC of the USA.

Chronological Milestones of St. Vladimir Cathedral

Parish Information & Contacts