Russian Orthodox Church of the Nativity Celebrates 100th Anniversary in Erie, Pennsylvania

The church has survived two fires, one in 1977 and one in 1986 that forced the entire church to be rebuilt.

The Russian Orthodox Church of the Nativity culminated their 100th Anniversary Celebration on Sunday.

The church, which was built on Erie’s bayfront in 1919, started as a place of refuge and community for Russian families.The church’s history is tied to both to religious reforms in Russia and the growth of Erie.

In the late 19th century many Russian Orthodox immigrants came to the United States. Some moved to Erie to find work on the bayfront, especially for people who couldn’t speak English.

The church is one of only a few Russian Orthodox parishes in America, standing the test of time and two fires. There was one in 1977 and one in 1986 that forced the entire church to be rebuilt. Part of the rebuilding process was the painting of new iconography and the inclusion of two gold domes. As part of their celebration, the church is planning to re-gild the domes. Today, they marked the unique history of the church and it’s importance to the Erie community.

“As the years have gone by we’ve continued to be very community oriented,” Rev. Pimen Simon, rector of the Church of the Nativity, said. “Not only for our own community but we’re engaged in housing the homeless in the winter, we do food pantry work, so we do a lot social work in the community and I think that helps us to be able to have a sense of cohesiveness.”

– Source: erienewsnow.com

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