St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral in Silver Spring (Maryland)

St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral in Silver Spring, Maryland, is the premier architectural sanctuary and diplomatic spiritual headquarters of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA in the Greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan capital area. Situated at 15100 New Hampshire Avenue, the cathedral serves as the official episcopal seat of the Archbishop of New York and Washington, D.C. For over seven decades, it has stood as a bastion of Eastern Christian spirituality, national witness, and international advocacy for Ukrainian sovereignty before the United States government and diplomatic corps.

Founding in the Nation’s Capital and Growth (1949–1988)

The origins of St. Andrew Parish began in 1949 in Washington, D.C., when Ukrainian post-war immigrants, diplomats, intelligence analysts, and Voice of America broadcasters banded together to establish an Orthodox community in the American capital. Desiring to preserve their faith and advocate for Ukraine’s subjugated people behind the Iron Curtain, the parish initially gathered in rented chapels across the District of Columbia.

As the community grew through the 1960s and 1970s, the parish acquired an expansive multi-acre campus along New Hampshire Avenue in suburban Silver Spring, Montgomery County, Maryland. With the approach of the sacred Millennium of Ukrainian Christianity (988–1988), the congregation resolved to erect a monumental cathedral worthy of representing Ukrainian sacred culture in the Washington metropolitan region.

Ukrainian-American architect Mykola Nimtsiv (M. Nimtsev) was commissioned to design the cathedral. In 1988, amid the worldwide millennial celebrations of Kyivan Rus Christianity, the cathedral was solemnly consecrated by Archbishop Antony (now Metropolitan Antony) and the synod of hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA.

Ukrainian Cossack Baroque Architecture and Iconography

Architect Mykola Nimtsiv drew profound inspiration from seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Ukrainian Cossack Baroque (Mazepa Baroque) ecclesiastic architecture:

• Gilded Baroque Cupolas: The cathedral is crowned by soaring golden onion domes and lantern cupolas perched atop stylized octagonal drums with azure metal roofs, visible from afar along New Hampshire Avenue.
• Stepped Volute Gables: The white stucco exterior walls feature distinctive stepped parapets and baroque curved gables (shchytsi) trimmed in slate-grey stone.
• Façade Mosaic of Saint Andrew: High on the exterior pediment is a magnificent mosaic portraying the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called blessing the green hills of Kyiv and planting his apostolic cross, fulfilling the ancient prophecy that the grace of God would shine upon Ukraine.
• Azure Starry Vaults & Frescoes: The luminous interior features high ceilings painted in celestial azure and adorned with golden stars. Above the sanctuary arch, a monumental fresco depicts Christ in Glory surrounded by flying angels, complemented by large biblical wall murals of the Nativity of Christ, the Holy Resurrection, and the Mother of God Oranta in the apse.
• White and Gilded Iconostas: A stately carved white-and-gold iconostas frames the Holy Sanctuary, featuring finely written Byzantine-style icons, ornate Royal Doors, and towering golden tiered choros chandeliers that illuminate the solea.

National Witness, Diplomatic Role, and Holodomor Advocacy

Because of its strategic location adjacent to Washington, D.C., St. Andrew Cathedral has historically functioned as the diplomatic and national church of the Ukrainian diaspora. Visiting heads of state, Ukrainian ambassadors, United States Senators, and members of the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus frequently attend commemorative services here.

The cathedral played an internationally renowned role in Holodomor remembrance. The parish’s esteemed protodeacon, the late Protodeacon Sviatoslav Novytsky, was a pioneering filmmaker who produced the landmark documentary film Harvest of Despair, which first introduced the truth of Stalin’s artificial famine to global audiences. On the cathedral grounds, an outdoor Memorial to the Victims of the Holodomor and the Heroes of Ukraine serves as a solemn focal point for annual state and community commemorations.

Pastoral Leadership and Wartime Relief for Ukraine

The cathedral is shepherded by its dedicated Dean and Pastor, Very Reverend Father Volodymyr Steliac. Under Father Volodymyr’s leadership, St. Andrew Cathedral has become a central powerhouse of direct humanitarian relief and medical procurement for Ukraine during Russia’s full-scale war.

The parish has organized multiple high-level fundraising galas, sent containers of high-grade surgical equipment and tactical medical trauma kits to field hospitals across Ukraine, and partnered with the Embassy of Ukraine in Washington to assist wounded Ukrainian soldiers receiving specialized prosthetic rehabilitation in the United States.

Chronological Milestones of St. Andrew Cathedral

Parish Information & Contacts