Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church is being built in the style of the Hutzul region of the Carpathian Mountains in Ukraine. It was designed by a master builder, originally from Ukraine, Yurii Kostiw now of New York City. The Hutzul style of architecture has several distinct characteristics. The church is in a cruciform shape of equal proportions, meaning the bars of the cross are of equal lengths. The beauty of the building is in the large, pear-shaped, central dome and distinct roofs. The structure is built almost entirely of wood (hemlock); the logs are held by square pegs in round holes. In Ukraine these churches were built entirely without nails.

All features of Ukrainian church buildings have a symbolic meaning. Most churches are built with the altar facing east, symbolizing Christ, the Light of the world. The central dome also stands for Christ, as does the large cross over the dome. The four smaller crosses, one on each roof, stand for the four Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and the word of God being proclaimed to the world. (Because Holy Trinity is still under construction, the 5 crosses are not yet on the church). The cruciform shape of the church stands for salvation.

Holy Trinity began building its church and rectory in 1990, having bought the land in 1981. The rectory was completed October, 1995. The inside of the upper church has now been completed. If you would like to help out financially, donations may be sent to:

Holy Trinity PUCC 16631 New Hampshire Ave. Silver Spring, MD 20905-3919

• Pictures of Holy Trinity under Construction (1990)
• Final Stages of Construction (1990)
• Adding the Cupola (1999)
• Aerial Views of the Church
• Winter Pictures (2000)
• Recent Pictures (2000)

| Home |