The Diocesan Cathedral of the Nativity of the Mother of God, and of the Holy Royal Martyrs

  • The Diocesan Cathedral, London
  • Clergy and faithful in the upper church of the Diocesan Cathedral, London, 2018
  • Prayers in the Diocesan Cathedral, London
  • Interior of the Diocesan Cathedral, London
  • A fresco of the Nativity of the Theotokos, to which the Cathedral is dedicated.
  • Interior of the Diocesan Cathedral, London
  • The Diocesan Cathedral, London

The Cathedral is the the liturgical centre of the Diocese and the seat of its Ruling Bishop, who serves here when he is not travelling elsewhere in the Diocese. In addition to its full schedule of Divine Services, the Cathedral parish community operates a vibrant Saturday School, an active Sisterhood, a youth society, and routinely hosts events both for its own community and for the Diocese more broadly. Additionally, pilgrimages are regularly organised through the Cathedral, both within the Diocese and to sites in Russia, Greece and elsewhere.

The Cathedral building itself is the latest in a series of physical temples that have been home to the parish for over three centuries. The main Altar in the upper church is dedicated to the Nativity of the Theotokos (feastday 8th / 21st September), and the lower to the Holy Royal Martyrs (4th / 17th July), to whom a deep veneration is a distinguishing characteristic of the Cathedral community and the Diocese as a whole — the Cathedral preserving many sacred items from their lives. Fuller details on the long and unique history of the Cathedral parish are available elsewhere on our web site.

Like all parishes of the Diocese, the Cathedral welcomes faithful of every background. Though, given its location in London which is a city filled with a tremendous number of Russian immigrants that give the parish a heavily Russian composition, it is in fact profoundly diverse in terms of the nationalities and backgrounds of its faithful — including English, Irish, Scots, Welsh, Romanian, Byelorussian, Ukrainian, Serbian, and many others. Everyone is always welcomed into the Cathedral community.

Address and Contacts:

Cathedral of the Nativity of the Mother of God
57 Harvard Road, Chiswick
London, W4 4ED, England

Website: Holy Dormition Cathedral Website

Standard Service Times:

  • Fridays: Moleben and Akathist to the Theotokos: 6.15 p.m.
  • Saturdays: Divine Liturgy, 9.00 a.m.; All-Night Vigil: 5.00 p.m.; Confessions during and after the Vigil
  • Sundays: Hours and Divine Liturgy: 10.00 a.m. (Confessions beforehand from 8.30 a.m.)

Additionally, weekday Liturgies are celebrated at 9.00 a.m., generally two or three times per week; specific days vary according to the commemorations of the week. See the Cathedral’s calendar of services for details.

Chief Liturgical Languages: Church Slavonic and English

Cathedral Parish Clergy:

  • His Grace Bishop Irenei of London and Western Europe, Diocesan Bishop (Rector)
  • Archpriest Vitaly Serapinas (Acting Vice-Rector)
  • Archpriest Yaroslav Hudymenko
  • Archpriest Peter Baulk (retired)
  • Deacon Andrei Borisas

Photogallery:

  • The Diocesan Cathedral of the Mother of God, London
  • Frescoing inside the London Cathedral
  • Bishops and Clergy at the consecration of the Cathedral’s upper Altar
  • Consecration of the Cathedral’s upper Altar
  • Consecration of the Cathedral’s upper Altar
  • The erection of a memorial Cross to the Holy Royal Martyrs outside the Cathedral, 2018
  • The erection of a memorial Cross to the Holy Royal Martyrs outside the Cathedral, 2018
  • Clergy and servers gather at the Cathedral
  • The Hawaiian icon in the Diocesan Cathedral
  • The Hawaiian icon in the Diocesan Cathedral
  • Archpriest Vitaly Serapinas is awarded the Palitsa during the Divine Liturgy of the Nativity in the Diocesan Cathedral, London
  • The Cathedral is the seat of the Ruling Hierarch, Bishop Irenei of London and Western Europe