Cathedral of the Transfiguration 3.44

The Cathedral of the Transfiguration was a Byzantine Revival cathedral of the Slovak Catholic Eparchy of Saints Cyril and Methodius of Toronto. It was originally built in the rural Victoria Square area in Markham, Ontario, north of the city of Toronto. Upon urbanization and development, the former cathedral is now unofficially designated as part of Cathedraltown and serves as the landmark of the Cathedraltown community.It was built to serve Slovak Catholics throughout the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The structure closed as a place of Catholic worship in 2006. However, Jesus the King Greek Melkite Catholic Church started to use the cathedral as a place of worship in late November 2016. After completion of mosaic work, the cathedral will fully reopen in early 2017.FeaturesAmong its features is the world's largest three-bell carillon, with the French-made bells by the Fonderie Paccard, weighing 14 500 kg (32,000 pounds), and 300 cm diameter. The mosaics are reputed to contain about 5 million pieces. The building was built to hold 1000 worshippers serving a community of about 5000 Byzantine Rite Catholics in the GTA and 35,000 across Canada. The central tower rises 63 metres (about 20 storeys) and is topped by a gold onion dome. The church was designed by Donald Buttress, a renowned architect whose claim to fame is overhauling Westminster Abbey. It is a significant landmark east of the 404 highway.