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Saints Kyril & Metodi Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocesan Cathedral

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Coordinates: 40°45′56″N 73°59′39″W / 40.765461°N 73.994182°W / 40.765461; -73.994182
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Saints Kyril & Metodi Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocesan Cathedral
Map
40°45′56″N 73°59′39″W / 40.765461°N 73.994182°W / 40.765461; -73.994182
Location552 West 50th Street
New York, New York
CountryUnited States
DenominationBulgarian Orthodox Church
History
ConsecratedMay 13, 1984
Administration
DioceseBulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese of the USA, Canada and Australia

Saints Kyril & Metodi Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocesan Cathedral (sometimes SS. Kiril and Methodi) is the cathedral church and headquarters of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church Diocese of the United States, Canada, and Australia. The church is located at 552 West 50th Street, between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues, Hell's Kitchen / Clinton, Manhattan, New York City.[1][2]: 221 

The building is 100 feet long, 28 feet wide, and 25 feet high,[3] with a yellow brick façade. In 1890 its site was occupied by a silk-ribbon factory.[4] By 1899, the church was up,[5] with an organ installed.[6]

In 1909 a Polish Catholic parish was formed, called St. Clemens Mary. (Clement Mary Hofbauer had been canonized on May 20, 1909.)[7] It worshipped briefly in a candy store on 10th Avenue near 51st Street before renting the 50th Street church, which had been occupied by a Lutheran congregation. Meanwhile, its own new building was built at 410 West 40th Street, and completed in 1913.[8]: 322  (Today it is the Metro Baptist Church.)[2]: 142, "Metro Baptist Church" 

On October 16, 1913, a Catholic parish was founded in Manhattan by Croatian Franciscan friars to serve Croatian immigrants. The Franciscans rented the 50th Street church. [9][8]: 323 

During a five-week renovation, German Franciscans from 31st St., a Slovak parish from Brooklyn, and a German church on 49th Street donated an altar, two statues, a chalice, books, garments for mass, and money. By early 1914, $21,000 was collected to purchase the church building, dedicating it to Saints Cyril and Methodius, ninth century Greek brothers recognized as saints by the Catholic Church in 1881. At that time the congregation numbered about 4,000.[8]: 323 [10][11]

After 60 years, the Croatian congregation moved into the grander St. Raphael's Church at 502 West 41st Street in 1974, forming the merged parishes of Sts. Cyril & Methodius and St. Raphael,[2]: 200  after which the 50th Street building stood empty for several years. In 1979 it was purchased by the Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Church, which retained the dedication to the Slavic patron saint, changing only the spelling. The cathedral had been at 312 West 101st Street for forty years.[2]: 221  In 1982, a $500,000 interior renovation was undertaken, and the newly restored church was consecrated May 13, 1984.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Parish Directory, official website. Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d David W. Dunlap, From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship. (New York: Columbia University Press, 2004).
  3. ^ a b "Showpiece for Bulgarian-Americans", New York Times, May 13, 1984.
  4. ^ Double Page Plate No. 102. Insurance Maps of the City of New York (Borough of Manhattan). Vol. 5 (New York: Sanborn–Perris Map Co., Limited; 1890). New York Public Library Digital Collections website.
  5. ^ Double Page Plate No. 102. Insurance Maps of the City of New York (Borough of Manhattan). Vol. 5 (New York: Sanborn–Perris Map Co., Limited; 1899). New York Public Library Digital Collections website.
  6. ^ "St. Clemens Mary Church (Hell's Kitchen)". The New York City Chapter of the American Guild of Organists (section: The New York City Organ Project, Manhattan). Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  7. ^ "St. Clement Hofbauer". The Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province website. Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  8. ^ a b c Remigius Lafort, S.T.D., Censor, The Catholic Church in the United States of America. Volume 3. (New York City: The Catholic Editing Company, 1914).
  9. ^ "Saints Cyril and Methodius". Encyclopedia of World Biography (2004). Encyclopedia.com website. Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  10. ^ United States. Inventory of the Church Archives of New York City, Vol. 9: The Roman Catholic Church, Archdiocese of New York (New York City: Historical Records Survey [unpublished], 1940). At NYCnuts.net website, "New York City Genealogy", Roman Catholic Church Records; each page has its own link. Typescript at New York City Hall Library, Call number 87 Un3 ica v.9.
  11. ^ "History-Povijest". Sts. Cyril & Methodius & St. Raphael's Catholic Church Croatian Parish. Croatian Church New York. Archived from the original on January 6, 2016. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
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