“Several windows at a historical Orthodox church were damaged Thursday after someone threw rocks into the building.

“Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral, 1121 N. Leavitt St., is one the few houses of worship designed by famed Chicago architect Louis Sullivan. Built in 1903, the church is a holy site for Orthodox Christians and a popular destination for architecture buffs and historians. The cathedral and rectory have been an official Chicago landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places since the 1970s.

“But sometime Thursday morning, three windows at the front and rear of the church were smashed-in by rocks, said Rev. Alexander Koranda, the cathedral’s dean and administrator. Koranda was returning to the church from a blessing around 10 a.m. when he noticed two of the front stained-glasses windows had been damaged. He walked around the building and noticed another window behind the altar had also been broken, he said.

“‘All of a sudden, I see this black hole in the window here… I knew immediately it must have been knocked out,’ he said. ‘I opened the front door and the frame was knocked in, rocks on the floor.’

“The vandalism comes after Holy Trinity recently completed an extensive exterior renovation of the historic property. Finished mostly by late summer 2021, the rehabilitation project replaced cracked stucco walls, refurbished its extensive metal ornamentation and installed new windows in the church’s rectory, among other upgrades.

“After he discovered the damaged windows Thursday, Koranda salvaged much of the broken stained glass, which is original to the building. He said the church will work with its restoration company to repair the windows.

“‘I wasn’t mad. I wasn’t upset, I wasn’t, ‘well, we need to catch these folks or something,’ he said. ‘We have a lot of love here. You know, we pray for the whole world. We constantly are praying specifically for the peace of the city, for its civil authorities. And so that’s what we do here.'” (Myers, Block Club Chicago, 1/27/23)