Synodal Cathedral of the Mother of God of the Sign

A cathedral in the ballroom of a Park Avenue mansion

The Synodal Cathedral of the Mother of God of the Sign stands in a mansion at Park Avenue and East 93rd Street in New York, built as a residence for one of the city's wealthiest men and acquired in 1958 for the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. The former ballroom became the cathedral, and the building is a New York City landmark and the residence of the First Hierarch. The Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God, the chief shrine of the Russian Church Abroad, makes its home here.

The mansion was built for himself by the financier George Baker Jr., and after his death it belonged to his widow. In 1958 a major benefactor of Russian descent bought it for the Synod of Bishops, and the Synod, together with the First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, moved here from West 77th Street. A plaque in memory of the benefactor remains on the facade, and the building has long been recognized as a city landmark.

The house was converted by hand: in the early years icon frames were made by hand, wiring was redone and hangers sewn for episcopal vestments. The former ballroom became the Cathedral of the Sign, the main dining room became the chapel of St. Sergius of Radonezh, where daily services are held, and the former owners living room became the Synodal hall where the Synod of Bishops meets.

The Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of the Sign is kept in this house and from time to time travels to parishes and monasteries of the diocese, as it did to Brooklyn, Mahopac and Rochester. The Synodal Choir sings at the cathedral, and on major feasts and Sundays a hierarchal service is often served here. The cathedral publishes a detailed schedule of services in Russian and English on its website each month.