TOLEDO, Ohio — A century old church in north Toledo is holding a grand reopening following a $500 thousand restoration project.
Community members gathered at The Renaissance Hotel downtown on Saturday to celebrate the newly-remodeled Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral.
Holy Trinity sits on the corner of Summit and Cherry Streets and is the site of the annual Toledo Greek American Festival.
The celebration and reopening of the church is the culmination of about four months of work.
The project, which the church describes as an “extensive interior restoration”, started earlier this year and was facilitated through community donations.
According to Church president Kathy Chaka, the church began thinking about the need for renovation and repairs almost ten years ago when it was discovered that the dome of the church had developed leaks which were damaging the iconography.
Work completed this year included updates to church iconography by world renowned iconographer, Andromachi Voutsina of Thessaloniki, Greece, restoration of the Cathedral’s marble, new carpet, deep cleaning of chandeliers and stained glass, and needed structural repairs.
Church leaders say these are the first major renovations to the church in more than 30 years.
Chaka says the renovations will keep the 104-year-old building operating for generations to come.
"What we have done, in my opinion, has cemented Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral as a jewel in downtown Toledo,” said Chaka. “We are definitely here to stay, and we are doing everything we can for future generations that are going to be coming, and staying, and growing up at Holy Trinity."
The church will be hosting a ribbon cutting on Saturday, May 4.
At that time, members will get to step inside the church as part of the Greek Orthodox Church’s Easter celebration.
“It’s going to be really emotional and really special. These people have waited a long time and it will be the first time that many of them will see the inside of the cathedral now that it’s been redone,” said Chaka.
Click here to see a photo gallery of the restoration process.
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