St. Nichlolas Russian Orthodox Church

Juneau’s gold rush in the 1880s spurred missionary efforts to convert Native peoples, but while American missionaries were instructed to suppress native languages, many Tlingits embraced the Orthodox Church because it used native languages in worship. St. Innocent Veniaminov was the first to translate Christian Scripture into that language and taught Native Alaskans to read and write in their own language. Juneau Tlingit leaders sought to establish a parish, and in July 1892 Bishop Nikolai visited Juneau and baptized nearly 700 of the town’s 1,500 Native residents. By 1893 the community had raised enough money to buy two lots in town, construction began in July, the church was completed in November 1893, and Bishop Nikolai consecrated it in June 1894. The building is a beautiful example of Russian American architecture, and its distinctive octagonal plan is considered the last of the Orthodox churches of this shape. Its interior is adorned with a seven-bay iconostas, and in its first decade it was served by Father John Bartnovsky and Father Alexander Yaroshevich, both Russian clergy familiar with the Tlingit language.

Juneau, Alaska · United States