Through fire and water, the vigil lamp inside Saint Theodosius never went out

Tuesday's fire at St. Theodosius Orthodox Cathedral in Cleveland's Tremont neighborhood has been ruled accidental.

The Cleveland Fire Department said roofers doing restoration work caused the fire. Damage is estimated to be $1 million.

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"There was a construction crew on the street... said they had been doing hot work basically welding copper up on the roof," said Cleveland Fire Chief Anthony Luke.

Luke said the fire's location in the copper domes, admired for their beauty, was challenging for firefighters.

The church, built in 1911, is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a Cleveland Landmark.

"There's hope that God will provide and will help us," said Father Jan Cizmar, Dean of St. Theodosius Orthodox Cathedral.

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Wednesday, leaders held a prayer service outside on the church steps. Hymns, prayers, and a message from Archbishop Daniel Brum comforted those saddened by the fire.

"Christ's temple is made of living stones, and you are those living stones," Brum said.

Wayne Vidovich has been a member of the church for 14 years.

"Devastated (is the) best way to say it. Just hard," Vidovich said. "I've been in orthodox churches in Europe, and I've never been in a more beautiful church than this, anywhere."

Water used to save the building from flames caused extensive damage. Some relics were able to be saved from the sanctuary.

Brum said despite the devastation, the church still shines.

"The church continues. Your life as a community continues," Brum said.

The Archbishop saw the damage first-hand Tuesday night. A flashlight from a cell phone led the way.

"What struck me profoundly is that the vigil lamp, the lampada, hanging in the altar in front of the Holy Icon of Christ's resurrection had not been extinguished," Brum said. "With all the water, wind and damage and debris flying during the fiercest moments of the fire that lamp remained faithful and burning. That's a reminder to me, and I think a reminder to all of us that Christ's light continues- continues to shine from this place."

Maribeth Lucak isn't a church member but has worshiped there frequently. She said being inside is like being in heaven.

"It's just a very spiritual (and) special holy place to be," Lucak said. "It's a death. It really is a death, but hopefully they will resurrect again."

Cizmar remains hopeful.

I asked him, "What did that mean to see everybody show up today and stand in front of the church given all that's happened?"

Cizmar responded, "It is the power of the community. They care for the house of God."

He said leaders are still figuring out where future services will be held and what repairs will entail. He said the church was in the midst of making improvements.

"We just fixed all the windows last year (and) invested a lot of money in fixing the roof," Cizmar said. "We were about to start Icon restoration from inside. We did a lot of work. We were close to the end."

Now more than ever, the church community is determined to keep going.

"Like the Bishop said, we have to pull together and continue until we get to where we need to be," Vidovich said.

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