photos by jim varian
St. Mary’s Orthodox Cathedral in northeast Minneapolis is home to a congregation that traces its roots to the 19th century. This summer marked the completion of a major restoration to St. Mary’s 110-year-old building, which included plaster work to shore up the inside of its dome, as well as new icons by the world-renowned Russian iconographer Dmitry Shkolnik that include Alexis Toth, the first pastor at the cathdral from 1889 to 1893. “The new iconography enhances our experience of sacred space as a little paradise, or a spiritual oasis, a place of encounter with God,” says Archpriest Andrew Morbey, dean of St. Mary’s.
This view of the north side of St. Mary’s Cathedral shows pre-existing (and meticulously cleaned) stained glass enhanced by the new addition of women saints.
A decades-old carpet was removed from the sanctuary and in front of the nave to reveal maple floors—the wood itself is two centuries old, now restored.
The south side of the cathedral now is enhanced by a group of male saints including Archbishop Tikkon of Moscow, who consecrated the building in 1906.
