Large dome falls from historic McKees Rocks church during storms

MCKEES ROCKS, Pa. — The dome of a century-old church was blown to the ground in McKees Rocks.

“My first thought was ‘Wow, how did this happen?’ and it is so large and yet these are the smaller domes,” said Father Thomas Soroka, with St. Nicholas Orthodox Church.

It’s a piece of St. Nicholas Orthodox Church that fell from high above. As the dome fell, it hit the chimney, then the roof, before landing on the fence.

“Domes can be replaced, fences can be replaced, roofs can be replaced, but people can not, so I’m thrilled no one was injured,” Soroka said.

Soroka told Channel 11 that a contractor came out to the church Wednesday morning and there was a spot of shiny copper on the cross that once sat at the top of the dome, which was a sign of a lightning strike.

But this act of Mother Nature comes at a time when the church was actively working to restore the domes, even having a meeting scheduled for Wednesday night about the project.

“This church was built in 1914 by Slovak immigrants in a time when here in the bottoms of McKees Rocks were mostly Slovak people,” Soroka said.

Now the concern turns to saving the beauty inside as a stained glass window is shattered and there is now a potential for water damage, which could ruin the last decade of work on the walls.

“It’s a very slow and expensive process that has beautified our church. My concern is the damage to the artwork to make sure the roof is covered and there is no future water damage,” Soroka said.

So, the clean-up begins as the church waits to hear from the insurance company and contractors.

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