Wow, it looks just like the churches back home," gasps Elena Rygina, a recent immigrant from the former Soviet Union, as she enters the Holy Trinity Cathedral. "The chairs, the sanctuary, the iconoclast — this is so familiar."
The Holy Trinity Cathedral, a Russian Orthodox church in Chicago at 1121 N. Leavitt St., was designed to make Elena and other followers of the Christian Orthodox faith feel right at home.
But as its parishioners are quick to point out, Holy Trinity is more than just another church.
Modeled after the late 19th century churches in Russia, Holy Trinity combines history, architecture and traditions that span more than a century.
Located near Bucktown and Wicker Park, the Ukrainian Village, home of the Holy Trinity Cathedral, is an eclectic blend of magnificent cathedrals, cozy diners and bakeries that bloom with the scent of fresh Ukrainian paschas.
The church has been at its current location since 1903, when it was built with the financial help of Russian Czar Nicholas II and the creative expertise of legendary Chicago architect Louis Sullivan.
At the beginning of the 20th century, it was customary for the Russian Orthodox Church to help those outside of Russia set up churches and start religious communities.
"Czar Nicholas II used almost $4,000 from his personal money to help pay for the church," says Anatoliy Bezkorovainy, parishioner and editor of "History of Holy Trinity."
Holy Trinity's founders and patron saints, St. John Kochurov and St. Tikhon, were both victims of the Bolshevik regime. After returning to Russia, John Kochurov was the first priest to be martyred by the Bolsheviks. Bishop Tikhon, the patriarch of Russia, died under Bolshevik house arrest.
Some of that legacy is still felt today. Since the saints were killed by the Bolsheviks, many in the church — especially the church's sisterhood — still hold an affinity for the Romanovs and a specific hostility toward the Bolsheviks.
Holy Trinity is a rare opportunity to see one of Louis Sullivan's smaller and more unusual projects. Sullivan, who previously rejected historical and classical structures, used both in Holy Trinity's design.
Not only did he agree to collaborate on the project, he also donated half of his fee and a large Tiffany chandelier, which still hangs in the church today.
"We were designated as a historical landmark by the Chicago Historical Society, and now we have architecture students coming to see the church all the time," says Anna Kapuska, president of Holy Trinity's sisterhood.
Those who drive past the church will hardly notice anything other than its two gold-laden domes. The church looks small and simple, but its beauty and grandeur are inside.
It's hard to enter Holy Trinity without astonishment at its ornaments, its walls and icons, its bright golden hues and carefully decorated sanctuary. The tall walls that lead to the dome and the balcony are completely covered with icons and Biblical paintings, everything from Annunciation to Birth of Jesus, Crucifixion and Resurrection.
The colors are bright and lively: red carpet, gold chairs, creamy ivory columns. Two stained-glass windows on the north and south sides of the church stand tall, covering most of the walls before they narrow into the dome.
The sanctuary, with its gold doors, is divided into more than 20 parts, each featuring a different icon.
Those who attend churches, will instantly find something missing: the pews.
Sub deacon Thomas Keith explains that Russian Orthodox followers stand through most of the services, which can last up to two hours on Sundays. Only elderly and children are allowed to sit through the whole service.
Because of its history as a Russian enclave, it may be surprising that Holy Trinity's congregation is mostly English-speaking.
"Most people here are descendants of Russian, Ukrainian, Serbian and other Slavic immigrants. Some are immigrants themselves, and some are converts," Keith says.
But whether they speak English, Russian or Ukrainian, the people at Holy Trinity are warm and affectionate.
"Oh, I love my church. It's so beautiful. I always tell everyone to come and see it," says Julie Sobarnia, who's been at Holy Trinity for 51 years.
And if you do decide to pay a visit, waking up early pays off. It's worth the effort to see the gold domes glimmer in the morning light and hear the church choir start the day. nyou
Anything living has a genetic code, and that code is DNA," Mirkin said, explaining the process of detecting bacteria like bacillus anthracis, or anthrax. "At NU, we developed a type of detector based on using small particles to recognize anthrax."
The detector, which has been under development by both Mirkin and Letsinger for the past several years, consists of a microscopic slide with spots of DNA. Each spot can be designed to recognize a segment of DNA from a different pathogen, like anthrax or smallpox.
If the DNA of the pathogen is present, that DNA binds to the appropriate spot on the microscope slide. A 13 nanometer (~ 1 millionth of an inch) gold particle with DNA recognizes another portion of the pathogenic DNA, and the particle changes color from red to blue. The slide is then treated with ordinary photographic developing solution which increases the color intensity of the spot by a factor of 100,000. This allows one to detect extremely small quantities of the pathogens.
"We have what we think is the most sensitive detection system out there using nanotechnology," Mirkin said.
-Naureen Shah
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