National Carpatho-Rusyn Cultural Center
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
Formerly the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, this building now houses a Carpatho-Rusyn cultural center. It was built in 1903 for the Carpatho-Rusyn community by Hungarian architect Titus de Bobula, who gave it a striking resemblance to the Rusyn Greek Catholic Cathedral of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, located in Uzhorod, Subcarpathian Rus. The parish began in 1897 and grew to over 700 families by the 1920s. Since 2004, the church has belonged to the Carpatho-Rusyn Society, which maintains it as a national cultural center--the first of its kind in the United States.
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Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, now home to the National Carpatho-Rusyn Cultural Center
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
Geography, Language, and Culture
Carpatho-Rusyns traditionally live within Ukraine (Transcarpathian region), northeastern Slovakia (Presov region), or southeastern Poland (Lemko region). Approximately 225,000 Carpatho-Rusyns immigrated to the United States between the 1880s and 1914, giving the US the largest Rusyn population outside of Europe, with immigrants and their descendants primarily living in northeastern and north-central states.
The Rusyn language is classified as East Slavic, though dialects vary based on region and may contain influence from Polish, Slovak, or Hungarian.
What is the global Carpatho-Rusyn population? According to the Carpatho-Rusyn Society, it's hard to say: "As has historically been the case with stateless minority groups, Carpatho-Rusyns have been reluctant to identify themselves as such or have simply not been recorded by the governments in the countries where they have lived. Therefore, it is impossible to know precisely the number of Carpatho-Rusyns in any country. A reasonable estimate would place their number at 1.5 million persons worldwide."
Aleksander Duchnovyč (1803 - 1865)
Cathedral of St. John the Baptist
During the 1890s, many Rusyns immigrated from Slovakia, Ukraine, Poland and Hungary to the United States to take jobs in steel mills. They formed a parish, and in 1903, hired Titus de Bobula to design a church. Based on a Rusyn church in Ukraine, the building provided a space for the community to expand over the following decades. In 1929, the church became the Cathedral for the Ruthenian (Rusyn) Diocese in America.
It served as an active place of worship until the congregation left to a new building in 1993. The church was then acquired by the St. John's Eastern European Cultural Center, whose plans to restore it never materialized. In 2004, the Carpatho-Rusyn Society bought the vacant church for $25,000. As C-RS President noted, "It is the most historic building for Carpatho-Rusyns in the United States" (quoted in Ackerman). Unsurprisingly, it's located very close to Pittsburgh, which houses the largest community of Rusyns in the US.
Today, visits to the Cultural Center can be arranged by appointment.
Carpatho-Rusyns traditionally live within Ukraine (Transcarpathian region), northeastern Slovakia (Presov region), or southeastern Poland (Lemko region). Approximately 225,000 Carpatho-Rusyns immigrated to the United States between the 1880s and 1914, giving the US the largest Rusyn population outside of Europe, with immigrants and their descendants primarily living in northeastern and north-central states.
The Rusyn language is classified as East Slavic, though dialects vary based on region and may contain influence from Polish, Slovak, or Hungarian.
What is the global Carpatho-Rusyn population? According to the Carpatho-Rusyn Society, it's hard to say: "As has historically been the case with stateless minority groups, Carpatho-Rusyns have been reluctant to identify themselves as such or have simply not been recorded by the governments in the countries where they have lived. Therefore, it is impossible to know precisely the number of Carpatho-Rusyns in any country. A reasonable estimate would place their number at 1.5 million persons worldwide."
Aleksander Duchnovyč (1803 - 1865)
"I was, am, and will remain a Rusyn." These famous lines open Duchnovyč's poem "Vruchanie." Duchnovyč studied Theology and became a priest, though he is most remembered as a social activist and as the "national awakener of the Carpatho-Rusyn people." He sought to cultivate and improve the cultural, educational, and literary achievements of Carpatho-Rusyns, and to that end he founded the Presov Literary Society. A prolific writer himself, he composed poetry, schoolbooks and grammar texts, hymns, and prayer books. As one of the most famous Carpatho-Rusyns, Duchnovyč and his words left an indelible impact on the Rusyn community.
During the 1890s, many Rusyns immigrated from Slovakia, Ukraine, Poland and Hungary to the United States to take jobs in steel mills. They formed a parish, and in 1903, hired Titus de Bobula to design a church. Based on a Rusyn church in Ukraine, the building provided a space for the community to expand over the following decades. In 1929, the church became the Cathedral for the Ruthenian (Rusyn) Diocese in America.
It served as an active place of worship until the congregation left to a new building in 1993. The church was then acquired by the St. John's Eastern European Cultural Center, whose plans to restore it never materialized. In 2004, the Carpatho-Rusyn Society bought the vacant church for $25,000. As C-RS President noted, "It is the most historic building for Carpatho-Rusyns in the United States" (quoted in Ackerman). Unsurprisingly, it's located very close to Pittsburgh, which houses the largest community of Rusyns in the US.
Today, visits to the Cultural Center can be arranged by appointment.
Sources
Ackerman, Jan. "Carpatho-Rusyns have designs on old cathedral." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. July 23, 2004. Accessed July 12, 2017. http://www.post-gazette.com/local/south/2004/07/23/Carpatho-Rusyns-have-designs-on-old-cathedral/sto....
"C-RS National Cultural Center." Carpatho-Rusyn Society. Accessed July 12, 2017. http://www.c-rs.org/munhall.html.
Magocsi, Paul. "Dukhnovych, Aleksander." World Academy of Carpatho-Rusyn Culture. Accessed July 12, 2017. http://www.rusyn.org/litdukhnovych.html.
"Who are the Rusyns?" "Geography and Economy," "Language, Identity, and Culture," Duchnovych & Rusyn Anthem," and "Architecture: Domestic & Sacred." Carpatho-Rusyn Society. Accessed July 12, 2017. http://www.c-rs.org/whoarerusyns.htm.
Image credit 1: https://fatherpitt.wordpress.com/category/munhall/
"C-RS National Cultural Center." Carpatho-Rusyn Society. Accessed July 12, 2017. http://www.c-rs.org/munhall.html.
Magocsi, Paul. "Dukhnovych, Aleksander." World Academy of Carpatho-Rusyn Culture. Accessed July 12, 2017. http://www.rusyn.org/litdukhnovych.html.
"Who are the Rusyns?" "Geography and Economy," "Language, Identity, and Culture," Duchnovych & Rusyn Anthem," and "Architecture: Domestic & Sacred." Carpatho-Rusyn Society. Accessed July 12, 2017. http://www.c-rs.org/whoarerusyns.htm.
Image credit 1: https://fatherpitt.wordpress.com/category/munhall/