History Of The Cathedral

The Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sava In New York City What became St. Sava Cathedral in 1944 officially began in 1850 as Trinity Chapel. In the late 1840's, the Episcopalian Trinity Church located on Broadway and Wall Streets in lower Manhattan, former parish church to founding father Alexander Hamilton, realized that New York City's "midtown" residential area was rapidly developing. The character of the Wall Street neighborhood, once exclusively fashionable, was rapidly becoming a commercial district. Trinity was losing its congregation because of its location. People could no longer be counted upon to make the long trip down to Trinity from the newly residential areas of Washington Square or Union Square. On November 2, 1850, in order to stem the tide of defections by parishioners, the Committee of Church Extension decided to purchase land to erect a chapel in "upper New York." Trinity fixed on a parcel of 5 lots (which were to be followed by three more) just off Fifth Avenue which it promptly purchased from the proprietor, Mr. Drake.

Highly satisfied with his now famous work on Trinity Church, the committee turned once again to Richard Upjohn, the foremost architect of his day, to build the new structure, thus ensuring a continuity of style. Progress apparently was rapid, since records of a March 1852 meeting show the rector was asked to arrange the cornerstone laying just two years after the original planning. However, as with all building construction, costs increased as modifications and alterations were made. The original plans for the chancel were changed, and the interior walls, originally to be of light brick were changed to Caen stone imported from Northwestern France. These, as well as other alterations, eventually raised the original cap from $40,000 to $79,000 to $230,000 upon the chapel's completion. In his record of church history, the Rev. Morgan Dix, rector of Trinity, dryly observed: "The persuasive power of architects and the docility of building committees must always be taken into account when estimates for new structures are taken under consideration. "

The architectural style of the church, early English Gothic, was considered unique on the continent at that time. Among its more unusual and immediately apparent aspects were the lack of a tower and the lack of ornamentation. Its fine proportions, and edifice, rugged, but pleasing in character, reinforced with large buttresses, quickly won Upjohn acclaim as did the picturesque and charming Clergy House attached to the rear of the building.

But it was the interior of the chapel which has often been assessed as Upjohn's masterpiece. Its loftiness and brilliance of proportion make it entirely different from anything else of its time. The most striking features, the long single aisled nave and open roof ceiling, resemble St. Louis' 13th Century Sainte Chapelle in Paris. When combined with the fully exposed truss ceiling of Norway pine, the beautifully polychromed panels with gold stars on a field of blue, and the painted apse walls (by German artist Habastrak), the chapel interior becomes as ecclesiastically proper as its Mother Church.

On the second Tuesday after Easter, 1855, the new chapel was consecrated with a large congregation present. Very shortly, a fashionable and wealthy congregation filled the chapel. Trinity was the only one of the six chapels in the parish in which pews were rented (the numbers still exist on the outside of the pews ). The records list the names of 125 parishioners who held pews between 1855 and 1856. It was only a simple wedding, but 30 years later, Pulitzer Prize winning author Edith Jones was married to Edward R. Wharton in April of 1885. The wedding was arranged by the bride's mother who lived across the street. A few years later Edith Wharton would immortalize the society and the church where she was married in her The Age of Innocence, the classic novel of Victorian New York.

By 1874, Trinity was a thriving center of evangelism. That year there were 648 communicants, 30 baptisms, 20 weddings, 47 confirmations, and 28 burials. The Sunday School had 39 teachers and 325 students; the Industrial School 35 teachers for 255 students and the daily Parish School which was free, had two teachers for 83 students. In addition, the chapel sponsored the Missionary Relief Society, the Sisterhood of the Holy Cross, the Mothers Aid Society, the Employment Society of Trinity Chapel, and the Trinity Chapel Home for Aged Women.

At the turn of the century, the area around Trinity Chapel began to change, becoming more commercial, as it once did around Trinity Church. The Episcopal Diocese realizing that families were beginning to leave the area for more fashionable parts of the city sent the Rev. J. Wilson Sutton in 1915 to serve as priest-in-charge until the chapel could be closed and the property sold. The shocked parishioners rallied around the dynamic leadership of Rev. Sutton, who in order to raise spirits and derail the planned sale began to beautify the chapel by adding carved oak choir stalls in 1931 and by commissioning the artist Rachel Madeley Richardson to do a series of religious paintings in the 14-foot wall niches located along the nave. Begun in the 75th anniversary year of the chapel, the project occupied Miss Richardson for ten years and was dedicated in the spring of 1940. But the effort of holding off the sale of the property was not to be. Within two years after commissioning future viability studies, the Trinity Corporation decided to sell 3 chapels in the system: St. Agnes, St. Augustine and Trinity Chapel.

When word leaked that Trinity would be sold, Russian, Greek and Serbian Orthodox congregations became interested. Ironically, Trinity Chapel's ties to the Eastern Orthodox Church extended back to March 1865, when the Divine Liturgy of the Eastern Orthodox rite was celebrated for the first time in an Episcopalian church in America. The next day the New York Times and other papers covered not only the American Civil War, but also the liturgy with headlines reading; "A Novel Religious Service", "A Remarkable Event in History" and "Inauguration of the Russo-Greek Churches in America".

The organization of the Serbian Orthodox Congregation that eventually purchased Trinity began when a group of Hercegovinian friends met on May 6, 1937 (St. George's Day) in Corona, New York at the Stajcich-Boro home of Vido and Petrice Stajcich. Five others were present as well: Nikola Boro, Ilija Grbich, Djura Vujnovich, Krsto Gasich and Petar Soldo. After initial conversation, they began to regret the fact that there was no church in which the devoted could meet. One thought led to another, and after the initial conversation the group became confident and enthused enough to each pledge a donation. As word of a proposed church spread, other Serbs rallied to the cause. The community of Serbs, though small, was not afraid to assume the sacrifices and immense preparations of starting a church in New York City.

Anxious to establish their church according to New York State laws, a petition and articles of incorporation were written and signed by Djura Davidovich, Nikola Boro, Mirko Baranin, Ruza Triklovich, Djura Vujnovich and Lazar Balich. On March 20, 1940, under the name of Srpska Istochna Pravoslavna Crkva Svetoga Save u New Yorku (Serbian Eastern Orthodox Church of St. Sava in New York) the first Serbian Church in New York City officially began.

Since it was not financially possible to purchase a church immediately, services were held at different locations. The first of these locations was the original meeting house for the oldest Serbian organization in America, the Serb National Benevolent Society, (1869), located at the Hartley House, 413 W. 46th Street in Manhattan. The premises were found to be suitable, and Rev. Vojislav Gachinovich was found to officiate. However, Rev. Gachinovich's term ended shortly thereafter. As result of questionable political activities he was removed from the parish and defrocked by the Church Consistory of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese due to his communist inclinations.

On January 1, 1942, Rev. Dushan Shoukletovich of Gary, Indiana, arrived in New York and took charge of the parish. Within a year a fire-damaged property at 25 E. 22nd Street was purchased with the intention of converting it into a church. While the Serbs still held this property, Bishop William Manning, Episcopal Bishop of New York, provided them with the use of an interim church building located on East 116th Street in Manhattan. A short time later, a remarkable development materialized. Church Board President Dushan B. Tripp and his officers were called to be apprised of the availability of the West 25th Street Trinity Chapel by the Trinity Corporation of New York. After many years of sacrifice and prayer it now seemed that a Serbian Orthodox Church in New York City was becoming a reality; but not until one last obstacle was overcome: for a short time it was not certain that the property would pass to the Serbs because of a lack of funds.

By the time the Serbs became aware of the property, the Episcopalians had already turned down two earlier offers to buy the church from both Russian and Greek congregations. Aware of their limited financial capabilities Mr. Tripp was ashamed and hesitant to offer any amount. However, because of the insistence of the Trinity Vestry he made an offer of $ 25,000 (the same sum offered earlier for a much smaller church). The Board of Directors of the Trinity Corporation accepted the offer requesting that the sum be raised to $30,000 for which the Serbs would also receive all the furnishings in the house, two valuable pianos, a satisfactory reserve of coal and a variety of church objects. They happily agreed and began to search for a way to actualize the bargain.

The decision in favor of the small but dynamic Serbian congregation was made by the vestry, and rector of Trinity Parish, Dr. Frederick S. Fleming, for a number of reasons. First, it would be the only Serbian Orthodox Church on the East Coast. Second, it would draw a congregation from New York City and surrounding areas. Third, the project was supported by His Majesty King Peter II along with Canon Edward N. West, Sacrist of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York, Bishop Nikolai Velimirovich and most significantly, Bishop Manning. Manning, who along with Canon West shared a particular fondness for Serbs and often spoke with great emotion of the suffering of the Serbian people during the war. He enthusiastically quoted St. Sava, and was familiar with the history and traditions of the Serbian Church and her people, whom he considered to be part of his spiritual flock. He was also very proud that one of the three Bishops at his consecration was Bishop Nikolai.

As the paperwork and legal parameters were being established, the property on E. 22nd Street was sold in late 1942 with the proceeds going toward the new church; but it was hardly enough. The congregation turned to the SNF for assistance, but received only moral support. After a nationwide campaign, additional money was collected from immigrant pioneers of Serbian descent already in the United States, but again the amount was too little. Running out of time, Mr. Tripp, a Vice President at Chase National (Manhattan) Bank, turned for help to his personal friends, and received from them the amount necessary to consummate the agreement. In November 1942, notices were published indicating that the property had been sold to the Serbian Eastern Orthodox Diocese for the United States and Canada. The dream had finally materialized. After so many years of hard work and persistence, the New York City congregation, which until one year ago had held services wherever it could manage, now had the largest Serbian Church in all of America!

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