{"nrhp_refnum":"97001247","name":"St. Nicholas Byzantine Catholic Church","other_names":["St. Nicholas Greek Catholic Church"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"504 S. Liberty St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Perryopolis","county":"Fayette County","state":"PA","lat":40.08212667400005,"lon":-79.75206342199994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1997-11-07","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["European","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A yellow brick Byzantine Catholic church on a level lot at the southern edge of Perryopolis Borough, Fayette County, Pennsylvania, with a two-story rectory built to its south in 1965-66. Construction began in 1912 and the building was completed in 1918.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church is significant for the ethnic heritage of its Rusin congregation and as one of several Byzantine Catholic churches founded in Fayette County by Rusin immigrants. Its architecture, including three onion-domed towers and a semi-octagonal apse, is presented as a well-preserved example of the Byzantine style built by Rusin immigrants in the region. Its icons and murals are said to reflect the community's growth and Orthodox and Latin roots.","narrative":"Built of yellow brick between 1912 and 1918 on a level lot at the southern edge of Perryopolis, this Byzantine Catholic church has a cruciform plan, a semi-octagonal apse and three onion-domed towers clad in stainless steel since about 1960. The sanctuary is covered with icons and murals painted over several generations, including a Latin-style nave ceiling from the 1920s and an apse Resurrection mural from the 1960s by Hungarian iconographer Stephen Juharos. A Czechoslovakian crystal chandelier hangs over the sanctuary. The basement dining room and kitchen remain central to Rusin food traditions. The church is significant for its ethnic heritage and its typical regional Byzantine architecture. Rusin immigrants who worked in local mines and mills founded it, and it is linked to the 1907 Darr Mine disaster, which occurred on St. Nicholas Day. The nomination treats the building as one of the best-preserved examples of its type in Western Pennsylvania.","period_of_significance":"1912-1947","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Byzantine Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"The church is described as in active use as a living focal point of Rusin traditions, with a 1970s kitchen relocation and 1960s stainless steel dome cladding.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:37.821616-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/97001247.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97001247/94c5ea94bb-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97001247/94c5ea94bb-1600.webp","licence":"CC0","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Nix_Perryopolis_2.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Nix_Perryopolis_2.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71996908","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Nicholas_Byzantine_Catholic_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7590814"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/fayette-county/st-nicholas-byzantine-catholic-church-97001247/"}