Detected in the early hours of Sunday, April 19, and promptly reported, the fire was extinguished by the San Francisco Fire Department, but not before completely destroying St. Innocent of Irkutsk Chapel on the lower level of the Cathedral. The Chapel, located directly below the nave of the Cathedral, had recently served as a Fellowship Hall and housed a Theological Library and Orthodox Bookstore. The exterior of the temple was damaged by the fire, as well as doors and windows broken by firefighters in order to gain access and release smoke. The Cathedral Gift Shop suffered the total loss of its merchandise.
Insurance is expected to cover losses but not additional necessary expenses such as property upgrades mandated by government regulations, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Holy Trinity Cathedral, established in 1857 and incorporated in 1867, is the oldest Eastern Orthodox parish in the United States outside Alaska. The present temple was built in 1909 to replace a previous church destroyed in the great earthquake and fire of April 18, 1906.
On June 14, the Sunday of All Saints, Pan Orthodox Vespers will be celebrated at 5:00 PM in St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church, 5200 Diamond Heights Blvd., San Francisco (415 648-5200). The choir of Holy Trinity Cathedral (Robert A. Parent, director) will sing the responses.
The dinner, donated and prepared by the parishioners of St. Nicholas, will be served at 6:00 PM, preceded by a cocktail reception.
The renowned Slavyanka Menžs Russian Chorus of San Francisco (Gregory A.
Smirnov, director)
Tickets for the dinner at $20 per person are available at all Orthodox
churches in the Bay Area. Reservations may also be made by telephone to
Holy Trinity Cathedral (415 673-8565), St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox
Church (415 648-5200), or via e-mail at events@holy-trinity.org or
StNickSF@aol.com.