Cathedral of the Archangel Michael (Sitka, Alaska)

The Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel is an Orthodox church in the city of Sitka (Alaska). A unique monument of the Russian presence in Alaska.

The cathedral is the cathedral church of the diocese of Sitka, Anchorage and Alaska of the Orthodox Church in America. Klyuchar - priest Ilya Larson (born Elia Larson).

The temple building in 1962 was included in the US National Register of Historic Places and is included in the list of national historical monuments of Alaska.

History

When arranging Novoarkhangelsk, A. A. Baranov proposed creating an alternative to the Kodiak Orthodox mission here. He requested that the best church utensils be delivered to the built chapel. Then he asked for a priest for a new mission.

In 1813, almost all the utensils intended for the New Archangel chapel were lost during the wreck of the Russian ship Neva off the coast of Baranov Island. Some items were saved; among them was the icon of the Archangel Michael in a silver setting.

Three years later, in 1816, the first priest, Alexander Sokolov, arrived in Novoarkhangelsk.

In 1834, the Russian-American company built a new one, consecrated in the name of St. Michael the Archangel, instead of the old dilapidated chapel.

The construction of the new church coincided with the arrival in Novoarkhangelsk of a new priest, father John Veniaminov.

In 1840, with the erection of Father John, who took monastic tonsure with the name Innocent, to the bishop of Kamchatka, Kuril and Aleutian islands, Novoarkhangelsk became one of the diocesan centers.

In the first year of the bishopric of Innocent, he began to design a cathedral in Novoarkhangelsk for a new diocese. Three years later, in 1844, the laying of the temple took place.

November 20, 1848 the Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel was consecrated.

It was built with funds provided by the Russian-American company. The bells were cast at local foundries, and Bishop Innocent manually assembled the clocks that were placed in the bell tower.

From the very beginning of its existence, St. Michael’s Cathedral became a cultural center that extended its influence to the Yukon River and Atka Island in the Aleutian Islands. In 1841, a theological seminary was established at the cathedral, primarily for future clergymen from local residents. Many of the graduates subsequently also joined the Russian-American company. At the same time, an elementary and secondary school with a shelter was founded. The school was closed only in 1906, and the Seminary, with the transfer of Archbishop Innocent to Blagoveshchensk, was also moved there in 1858. Schools were housed in the building, which is now known as the Bishop’s House, or Russian Shelter.

After the sale of Alaska to the United States in 1867, American troops arrived in Sitka, who plundered the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael, as well as shops and private houses. After the transfer of the center of the Aleutian diocese in San Francisco in 1872, the cathedral fell into disrepair, all the remaining valuable utensils were transferred to the diocesan center. Only in 1903 the temple became a cathedral for the Aleutian vicar.

View of the Sitka and the cathedral. 1891 photo

At the cathedral, the Society of Sobriety (in 1896) and the fraternity (in 1903) were opened, which supported the church in matters of donations, repairs and restoration. Donations to the cathedral were transferred by the Imperial Missionary Society, the Russian-American Company, and private individuals (Prince V.P. Kochubei, Countess A.A. Orlova). Those who survived the shipwreck, in gratitude, presented utensils and icons.

Fire and recovery

The fire on the night of January 2, 1966, which destroyed almost the entire central part of Sitka, also destroyed the cathedral. Residents of the city and parishioners managed to save almost all the utensils of the cathedral, including the Royal Doors of the iconostasis and chandelier. Of the most valuable, bells hand-crafted at Sitka were lost; a large icon of the Last Supper, and the clock in the bell tower.

At the time of the fire, the temple was the oldest church building built in the “Russian period” in Alaska.

Almost immediately, the state and local governments launched a campaign aimed at rebuilding the cathedral. When restoring the cathedral, conducted under the direction of architect Sergei Padiukov, photographs taken in 1961 were used.

The new consecration of the cathedral took place in 1976, it was attended by A. I. Solzhenitsyn.

The Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel is considered by residents and guests as a unique representative of the Russian presence in Alaska.

Architecture & decoration

The existing cathedral, a reconstruction of a burned-out building, carried out by architect S. N. Padyukov based on the US National Park Service, practically repeats the previous structure, which has not changed in the entire history of its existence.

The cathedral is located in the center of Sitka's business district, at the intersection of Lincoln Street and Maksutoff Streets, the first of which surrounds the temple, and the second ends at the intersection.

Previously, the cathedral was wooden, covered with plating. However, fire safety requirements identified a new construction material: reinforced concrete walls with vinyl cladding. Cathedral gray-blue walls with white edging.

Initially, the roof was covered with wood, and then the coating was replaced with roofing tiles.

The central green dome is located on an octagonal drum, on each side of which there are windows.

In terms of plan, the cathedral is a Greek cross oriented to the bell tower. The cathedral is 20.4 meters wide and 29.5 meters long. The bell tower is 12 meters high.

The bell tower, crowned by a spire-shaped dome, has eight arched openings with a bell in each. A balustrade surrounds the dome. Windows at the top are false. In addition, the bell tower has a round clock with a Roman dial. At the bottom of the bell tower is the entrance to the narthex.

Inside the temple, the walls and ceiling are covered with canvas. The dome is supported by four small columns

In the center of the temple is the bishop's chair with an orlets.

There are three chapels in the cathedral: the main one - in the name of Michael the Archangel; the north - the Kazan icon of the Mother of God and the south - St. Innocent of Moscow.

The iconostases are a reconstruction of the old, authentic are the royal royal gates of the central aisle and almost all the icons.

On the walls are paintings depicting scenes from the Old and New Testaments donated to the cathedral by Prince V.P. Kochubey and Countess A.A. Orlova.

Of the icons known:

• The icon of the Mother of God of Kazan ("Sitka Madonna"), a local image of the northern chapel, is often carried across the United States and Europe. It has a silver gilt robe. The work is attributed to V. L. Borovikovsky.
• The icon of the Lord Almighty, also the local image of the northern aisle, was painted by V. L. Borovikovsky.
• Icon of the Holy Trinity, the oldest image of the cathedral.
• Icons of the Monks Zosima and Savvatiy Solovetsky, in silver setting, and the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, painted and donated to the cathedral in 1843 by the crew and passengers of the ship “Heir Alexander” in gratitude for the salvation in the storm in 1842.

In addition, the cathedral contains relics belonging to St. Innocent:

• A crucifix inlaid with pearls, presented to Bishop Innocent on the day of his ordination in 1840.
• The gospel, printed in 1759, is a gift to the bishop in 1846 from the archimandrite of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.
• The gospel in a silver setting in the Aleutian language, translated by him as a priest. The translation was completed in 1828 and published in 1840.
• Bishop Miter.