Exaltation / Elevation of the Holy Cross Church

Side A: The Exaltation/Elevation of the Holy Cross Church served both Byzantine Greek and Russian Orthodox Catholic congregations from 1915 to 1967. As Slovak migrants found work in the Cambridge coal fields of Guernsey and Noble Counties, they dreamed of a place to worship surrounded by the religious rites and iconography of their homeland. On January 26, 1914, Daniel Varhola, John Fetkovich, John Demko, Stephen Varhola, and Mike Zeleznik (trustees of the “Greek Catholic Church, which is united forever with the Holy Catholic Apostolic Church”) purchased land on a hill overlooking Belle Valley. The two-sided cornerstone, inscribed in Russian and Slovak, was blessed November 15, 1915. For over 50 years, the church anchored the Eastern European immigrants living in Belle Valley to the ethnic identity and traditions of their homeland. (Continued on other side) Side B: (Continued from other side) Exaltation/Elevation of the Holy Cross Church exhibits the characteristic metal onion dome with three-bar Byzantine Cross, central bell tower, and rectangular hall plan with apse that define the vernacular Byzantine Revival Style. Built into the hillside with a four-foot stone retaining wall, the wooden structure represents the Byzantine Catholic (Church of the Resurrection) and Russian Orthodox (St. Vozdvienie Cestnaho Kresta Greek Catholic Uhro Roski Church of Belle Valley) congregations who built and shared it. Interior features include stained-glass rose and arched windows, a pair of five-panel wooden doors, a bead board icon screen, and a coffered ceiling with a central rosette in the dome. In recognition of its significant ethnic heritage and social history, the church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2022.