Phone +1 215-627-3338 | ||
Address 707 N 5th St, Philadelphia, PA 19123, USA Similar St Andrews Cathedral, St Nicholas Cathedral, Cathedral Basilica of Saints Pe, Valaam Monastery | ||
St. Andrew's Cathedral, is a Russian Orthodox cathedral in Philadelphia. Established in 1897, it is the oldest Orthodox Christian Church in Philadelphia. The current rector is the Archpriest Mark Shinn. It is located at 5th Street & Fairmount Avenue.
The church was built by members of the Russian Navy who were awaiting completion of two Russian warships which were being built at Cramp's Shipyard for use in the Russo Japanese War, the Variag and Retvizan. The reason for the construction was that the sailors had no Russian Orthodox church to attend in Philadelphia and also wished to leave a place of worship for local Russian Orthodox people. The land and all materials and labor were donated by the sailors and construction was completed in 1897.
Adjacent to the church stands a small museum with photos, names and uniforms of the sailors who participated in the building of the church and also photos of their two ships which were both sunk by the Japanese during the war.