Protection of the Holy Virgin Mary Orthodox Church
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Protection of the Holy Virgin Mary Orthodox Church | |
|---|---|
 | |
   | |
| 37°52′55″N 89°06′37″W / 37.881885268598715°N 89.11035301933485°W | |
| Location | 112 N. Fairdale Street, Royalton, IL |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Russian Orthodox |
| Website | https://www.phvm.org/ |
| History | |
| Founded | 1914 |
| Founder(s) | Frank Derbak,[1] John August and Paul Andrews [2] |
| Dedication | 1915 [3] |
| Past bishop | Rev. Michael Vyacheslavov |
| Architecture | |
| Groundbreaking | October 14, 1914[2] |
| Construction cost | $2,200 (1914) [3] |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese |
| Clergy | |
| Rector | Rev. John Pawelchak |
The Protection of the Holy Virgin Mary Orthodox Church in Royalton, IL is one of the only remaining Russian Orthodox churches in southern Illinois.[4][5][6] The church was founded by eastern European immigrants, including Rusyns,[3][7][5][8] Ukrainians, Polish, Latvians, and Russians,[9] many of whom worked in local coal mines [10][11][12] The three principal founders were Frank Derbak (born in Kolochava),[1] John August and Paul Andrews, with supporting founders Ivan Matichin, Ivan Drozd, Ivan Shender and Ivan Lapko.[13] Ground was broken on October 14, 1914, the same day as the Feast of the Protection of the Theotokos.[3] It was built to mimic the construction of the now-closed St. Ioasaph's in Muddy.[14][15] Each parishioners family was asked to give $25 at the start of construction and was asked to give another $25 when the construction was finished.[16]
The church opened to parishioners in late 1915.[2][3]
On October 27, 1914, there was an explosion at the nearby Royalton North No. 1 Mine, killing over 100 miners.[17] Thirteen of the miners who were killed in the disaster were members of the church.[16][18] There is a memorial at the church, and many of the miners were buried in a cemetery dedicated to the disaster.[19] The mining company donated land north of Royalaton to bury the miners, and became St. Mary’s Russian Orthodox Cemetery.[5][12] Each year, on October 27 a panachida is celebrated in remembrance of the thirteen parishioners who were killed.[13]
The nearby village of Dowell also had a Russian Orthodox Church, Saints Peter and Paul, but it has since closed. A memorial to the closed Dowell church is located in at the Holy Protection church.[20][16]
Other southern Illinois villages with Orthodox churches included St. Mary's Russian Orthodox Church in Benld, Buckner, and Grand Tower.[5][21]