Russian fur traders began settling in California in the early 1800s. The first Russian settlement was established in 1812 at Fort Ross in Sonoma County near Healdsburg, with a port at Bodega Bay. It was the site of California’s first windmills and shipbuilding. Fort Ross supplied Russian colonies in Alaska with hemp, flax and fur. By 1841 its agriculture importance had declined and the fur trade was all but extinct due to over-hunting. Fort Ross was sold to John Sutter of Gold Rush fame and today is a historical park. Many of the original Fort Ross settlers moved to San Francisco.
The first San Franciso Russian Orthodox parish was established in 1927 by Bishop Apollinaris. The original church was housed in a store on Sacramento. In 1930 it moved to a former Episcopal church between Fillmore and Webster. Construction of the present-day cathedral began in 1961, but in-fighting and lack of funds threatened the cathedral’s completion.
Mikhail Maximovitch was born on June 4, 1896 in the Kharkov Governorate of Russia (now part of Ukraine). He attended military school and received a law degree from Kharkov Imperial University in 1918. But after the brutality of the Russian Revolution, Maximovitch turned to religion. Graduating from Belgrade University with a theology degree in 1925 he became an ordained monk, taking the name John. He was rumored to only sleep in a chair or on his knees and eat one meal a day. He gained popularity for his purported powers of prophecy, clairvoyance and healing. In 1934 he became an ordained Bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia and was assigned to a diocese in Shanghai where he restored church unity between Orthodox Russians, Greeks and Serbs. In 1946 he became Archbishop of China. When the Communists took power in China in 1949, the Russian colony immigrated to the Philippines, Australia and the United States. Archbishop John was reassigned to the Archdiocese of Western Europe and in 1962 was reassigned again as Archbishop of San Francisco and Western America. His first order of business was the completion of the cathedral, which opened in 1965.
The Holy Virgin Cathedral, also known as Joy of All Who Sorrow, is located at 6219 Geary Street in the Richmond District. It has 5 onion domes reminiscent of India’s Taj Mahal, each covered in 24 carat gold leaf. There are six large mosaic-tile representations of saints decorating the entrance. The interior features parapet floors, icons, religious paintings and a huge chandelier. It is the largest of six Russian Orthodox cathedrals outside of Russia.
Holy Virgin Cathedral is in the heart of City’s Russian enclave, commonly referred to as Little Russia. Situated between 17th, Clement, 27th and Anza, these 20 City blocks feature an assortment of Russian restaurants, bakeries and markets.
Archbishop John died in 1966 during a visit to Seattle and his body was returned to San Francisco and entombed beneath the alter in Holy Virgin Cathedral. The cathedral was consecrated on January 31, 1977 and Archbishop John was canonized in 1994 and now referred to as St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco. His feast day is celebrated on the Saturday closest to July 2nd.
In addition to the Cathedral there are three Russian Orthodox churches in the City: St Tikhon of Zadonsk at 15th and Balboa, Christ the Savior at 12th and Anza, and Our Lady of Kazan at 19th and California. The current Archbishop of San Francisco and Western America, His Eminence Dimitrieff Kyrill, is a San Francisco native and graduate of the University of San Francisco[1]. Today the Cathedral site also supports a K-12 school, a book store, a religious academy and housing for senior citizens. Visitors are welcome to church services that take place daily at Holy Virgin Cathedral at 8am and 6pm.[2]
—————-
[1] University of San Francisco: story coming October 15th [2] Visit them at https://holyvirgincathedral.com
