This Is One of the Most Beautiful Cathedrals in San Francisco with 24-Carat Gold Domes

Holy Virgin Cathedral of SFPhoto byHoly Virgin Cathedral of SF/Facebook

The Holy Virgin Cathedral, also known as Joy of All Who Sorrow, is a Russian Orthodox cathedral in the Richmond District of San Francisco.

It is the cathedral of the Diocese of San Francisco and Western America. Moreover, is the largest of the six cathedrals of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, which has over 400 parishes worldwide.

Holy Virgin Cathedral of SFPhoto byHoly Virgin Cathedral of SF/Facebook

Russian settlement in California began in 1812 at Fort Ross. On June 2, 1927, the Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia established its first parish in San Francisco.

An early Holy Virgin Cathedral stood at 858-64 Fulton Street, between Fillmore and Webster. On May 3, 1970, that building was classified as a San Francisco Landmark.

St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco, born Mikhail Maximovitch, founded the present cathedral at 6219 Geary Boulevard in the Richmond District. The area is well-known for its Russian restaurants and businesses, and the most prominent Russian presence is the majestic Holy Virgin Cathedral.

Groundbreaking took place on June 25, 1961, construction was finished in 1965, and the cathedral was completed on January 31, 1977. St. John died in 1966 and is buried in the cathedral.

Holy Virgin CathedralPhoto byHoly Virgin Cathedral/Wikipedia

Oleg N. Ivanitsky designed the church, which has five onion domes plated in 24-carat gold leaf. The interior's amazing beauty which is bordered by icons, sacred paintings, and mosaics, and lighted by a huge chandelier, can be seen by those who attend religious services or visit the cathedral.

Alfonso Pardias of Byzantine Mosaics did the mosaic work on the building's exterior.

Kyrill (Dmitrieff), Archbishop of San Francisco and Western America, is the cathedral's rector. The archbishop was born in San Francisco and attended the University of San Francisco. The Saint John of San Francisco Orthodox School, a K-12 school, as well as a bookshop and senior housing, are all operated by the cathedral.

Holy Virgin Cathedral of SFPhoto byHoly Virgin Cathedral of SF/Facebook