St. John of Rila Church in Chicago
Encyclopedia
St. John of Rila in Chicago, referred to in Bulgarian
as 'Tsurkva Sveti Ivan Rilski' is a historic church of the Orthodox Church of America located in Chicago, Illinois
. It is considered to be one of the most aesthetically noteworthy churches in the Portage Park
area of Chicago
.
as Peace Lutheran consolidated its parish with a number of other Lutheran congregations on Chicago's Northwest Side. The congregation of St. John of Rila, Wonderworker which had formed in February 1996 was looking for a church of its own as it had been celebrating services in the Holy Cross Chapel at St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church in Chicago
. After winning the highly competitive auction, the first services at the new beautiful church were celebrated on February 7, 1999.
Today, St. John of Rila is an extremely important center for Bulgarians
in Chicago
because of the specificity of national churches in America
to function not only as a place of worship, but also as an important social center devoted to maintaining the language
, culture
and tradition of the Bulgarian diaspora
through Sunday school
s and social gatherings.".
In October of 2003, Princess Marie Louise of Bulgaria
toured the church.
and limestone
church building has approximately 3979 square feet (369.7 m²) above grade area, including a 552 square feet (51.3 m²) balcony
, overlooking the main church floor which seats approximately 216 people. The original interior has been adapted to conform to Eastern Orthodox liturgical requirements, and a traditional hand carved iconostasis
has been installed. The 3427 square feet (318.4 m²) finished basement has a large auditorium with a stage used for theatrical and cultural performances."
The parish house which is attached to the church building was completed in 1923 and served as the main place of worship until the church's completion in December 1928
In 2008, the Church underwent a renovation. The sanctuary, which was previously located at the west end of the church, was moved to the east end to fulfill the requirement for Bulgarian Orthodox Churches. A new entrance was built as well since the old one was located at the east end.
Bulgarian language
Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Slavic linguistic group.Bulgarian, along with the closely related Macedonian language, demonstrates several linguistic characteristics that set it apart from all other Slavic languages such as the elimination of case declension, the...
as 'Tsurkva Sveti Ivan Rilski' is a historic church of the Orthodox Church of America located in Chicago, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. It is considered to be one of the most aesthetically noteworthy churches in the Portage Park
Portage Park, Chicago
Portage Park is located on the northwest side of the City of Chicago, Illinois and is one of 77 officially designated Chicago community areas. Portage Park is bordered by the community areas of Jefferson Park and Forest Glen to the north, Dunning and the suburb of Harwood Heights to the west,...
area of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.
History
The church building was originally built and housed a Lutheran congregation under the name of the Peace Lutheran Church. The building was put up for auctionAuction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
as Peace Lutheran consolidated its parish with a number of other Lutheran congregations on Chicago's Northwest Side. The congregation of St. John of Rila, Wonderworker which had formed in February 1996 was looking for a church of its own as it had been celebrating services in the Holy Cross Chapel at St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. After winning the highly competitive auction, the first services at the new beautiful church were celebrated on February 7, 1999.
Today, St. John of Rila is an extremely important center for Bulgarians
Bulgarian Americans
Bulgarian Americans are citizens of the United States with Bulgarian heritage. For the 2000 US Census, 55,489 Americans indicated Bulgarian as their first ancestry, while 92,841 persons declared to have Bulgarian ancestry...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
because of the specificity of national churches in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to function not only as a place of worship, but also as an important social center devoted to maintaining the language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
, culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
and tradition of the Bulgarian diaspora
Diaspora
A diaspora is "the movement, migration, or scattering of people away from an established or ancestral homeland" or "people dispersed by whatever cause to more than one location", or "people settled far from their ancestral homelands".The word has come to refer to historical mass-dispersions of...
through Sunday school
Sunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
s and social gatherings.".
In October of 2003, Princess Marie Louise of Bulgaria
Princess Marie Louise of Bulgaria
Princess Maria Louise of Bulgaria is the daughter of Tsar Boris III and Tsaritsa Ioanna and the older sister of Simeon II of Bulgaria. Her baptism in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church caused controversy at the time.-Biography:...
toured the church.
Architecture
Originally constructed in 1928, this beautiful brickBrick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
and limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
church building has approximately 3979 square feet (369.7 m²) above grade area, including a 552 square feet (51.3 m²) balcony
Balcony
Balcony , a platform projecting from the wall of a building, supported by columns or console brackets, and enclosed with a balustrade.-Types:The traditional Maltese balcony is a wooden closed balcony projecting from a...
, overlooking the main church floor which seats approximately 216 people. The original interior has been adapted to conform to Eastern Orthodox liturgical requirements, and a traditional hand carved iconostasis
Iconostasis
In Eastern Christianity an iconostasis is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a church. Iconostasis also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed anywhere within a church...
has been installed. The 3427 square feet (318.4 m²) finished basement has a large auditorium with a stage used for theatrical and cultural performances."
The parish house which is attached to the church building was completed in 1923 and served as the main place of worship until the church's completion in December 1928
In 2008, the Church underwent a renovation. The sanctuary, which was previously located at the west end of the church, was moved to the east end to fulfill the requirement for Bulgarian Orthodox Churches. A new entrance was built as well since the old one was located at the east end.