Location: Chicago
Top Things to do in Chicago
What to do and see in Chicago, Illinois (IL): The Best Churches & Cathedrals
The windy city is a cornucopia of modern art, fine dining, cutting edge comedy, and die-hard sports fans. Snap a photo of your reflection in the silver Cloud Gate sculpture at Millennium Park before heading to Grant Park to get hit with the refreshing spray of Buckingham Fountain. There are dozens of museums and theater companies in Chicago, so a cultural experience is never hard to find. You’re sure to laugh your head off at the Second City Theater, the professional launch pad of many famous comedians.
Restaurants in Chicago
1. Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 46 reviews
Founded in 1892, Holy Trinity Cathedral is home to the oldest Orthodox parish in Chicago. This beautiful church was designed by the famous American architect, Louis Sullivan. It was consecrated by St. Tikhon of Moscow in 1903 and built under the leadership of St. John Kochurov of Chicago, who was martyred in the Bolshevik Revolution. Located in the heart of Chicago’s historic Ukrainian Village-Wicker Park neighborhood, Holy Trinity has been a vital part of the community for more than a century. It’s an official City of Chicago Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, it’s the center of religious life for many Orthodox faithful and their families. We are dedicated to serving the people of God in the spirit of Christian love, and we invite you to come and worship with us whenever you are in the Ukrainian Village-Wicker Park area. Tours are available by appointment and on Saturdays as indicated on the website, or worship with us during services.
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
Chicago is a city of architecture, from Louis Sullivan to Daniel Burnham to Frank Lloyd Wright. The Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral, the cathedral church of the Orthodox Church in America Diocese of the Midwest, is one of only two churches designed by Sullivan, one of the seminal architects of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Located at 1121 North Leavitt Street, in the Ukrainian Village neighborhood, it was built in 1903, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and designated a Chicago Landmark in 1979. Curiously, construction was partly financed by a donation of 4,000 roubles (or $2,700) from Tsar St. Nicholas II of Russia and $1,250 from Sullivan, who also donated the priceless Healy & Millet manufactured chandelier that is one of the highlights of the interior. The church, which was elevated to a cathedral in 1923, retains many features of Russian provincial architecture, including an octagonal dome, frontal bell tower, cupolas, window and roof framing and Art Nouveau decorative design over the western entrance to the church.
2. St. Hyacinth Basilica
3. Chabad of Gold Coast
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1 reviews
4. St. Mary of the Angels
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 10 reviews
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
St. Mary of the Angels is an historic church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago. Located at 1850 North Hermitage Avenue in the city's Bucktown neighborhood, it is an example of the Polish Cathedral style of churches and is visible from the Kennedy Expressway. Completed in 1920, with a capacity of 2,000 and a dome that is 125 feet in height, it was modeled on St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and has been acclaimed as one of the finest specimens of Roman Renaissance architecture in the United States. The imposing brick and terra cotta edifice with its twin bell towers and magnificent dome was constructed at a cost of $400,000. The W.W. Kimball pipe organ was installed in 1923. In 1973, the extensive repairs were made on the exterior of the dome and the blue "Guiding Light" was added. It is visible in the cupola for a considerable distance. The church was closed and scheduled for demolition in 1988 due to unsafe conditions. But members of the parish, local citizens and historians rallied to save the historic structure. By 1999, the 100th anniversary of the parish, the church's interior decorations had been fully restored. Today, open from dawn to dusk, seven days a week, Sunday Masses are celebrated in English, Polish and Spanish. In recent years, the ethnic character of St. Mary of the Angels has undergone a gradual change from an exclusively Polish parish to one that is multicultural and multiracial.
5. St Peter's Church
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 40 reviews
Reviewed By Kittygal - Los Angeles, United States
I stopped by for Saturday afternoon mass during a recent layover. The church is modern and beautiful, with clean lines and gorgeous artwork. It's run by the Franciscan order and serves a growing Loop population. Was very glad I happened by. Lovely organ music, too.
6. St Adalbert Church
7. St. Constance Church
8. St. Joseph the Betrothed Ukranian Catholic Church
9. St, Mary of Perpetual Help Roman catholic church
10. Holy Family Catholic Church
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 2 reviews
Reviewed By O6378WFannag - Park Ridge, United States
Ist is located next to the prestigious St Ignatius Prep School. Founded in 1857 by father Damen (major street in Chicago is named after him). The first Jesuit church in Chicago. It is also one of the only 5 public buildings which survived the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. I went there during Open House Chicago and I heard there that it was called "Ellis Island of Midwest". A lot of Irish-Americans can trace their family tree back to this church which ones was the largest English speaking parish in US (with 25 000 parishioners). A lot of historical Chicago figures belong or prayed at this parish (O'Leary family - legend says that the Great Chicago Fire started at their stables; the first American saint Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini, Comiskey family - John Comiskey is memorialized in one of the church's stained window - the oldest stained glass in Chicago - and his son is a founder of the Chicago White Sox - baseball team). Unfortunately, due to shortage of funds to keep this church open, it is not so easy to get there to visit it. Check mass schedule.
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