Russian Orthodox missionaries began preaching to European fur traders and Alaska Natives in the 1750s. The first Russian Orthodox church on the island of Unalaska was built in 1808, with the current wooden cathedral completed in 1896. During Russian colonization, Orthodox leaders used the native Aleut language in prayers and religious texts, but after the United States purchased Alaska in 1867, church leaders punished Alaska Natives for speaking Aleut. The U.S. government also forcibly removed Alaska Natives from Unalaska to internment camps following the 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor. While interned, Alaska Natives formed a makeshift church named after Holy Ascension. Holy Ascension remains a symbol of hope and still holds services in Aleut, Slavonic, and English.

According to the congregation, the church’s historical, cultural, and spiritual significance is “instrumental to the well-being of the people of Unalaska.” The congregation hosts traditional Aleutian food bake sales, runs an elder visitation program, and leads cultural events at the nearby schools and the senior center. Holy Ascension is also a popular destination for cruise ship tourists and visitors from the state ferry. In order to promote understanding between diverse peoples and bridge cultures, church members of all ages provide tours of the cathedral and its extensive collection of religious icons.

A National Fund grant of $125,000, with nearly $700,000 in matching funds, facilitated the installation of a high-fog mist fire suppression system that will protect the church’s congregants, visitors, building, artwork, and recently conserved icons. The successful project was a collaboration between the congregation and Russian Orthodox Sacred Sites in Alaska (ROSSIA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of Alaska’s Russian Orthodox churches and iconography. The National Fund project enhanced the congregation’s fundraising capacity, relationships with individuals and community organizations, and ability to open the church’s door to additional visitors.

Holy Ascension of Our Lord Cathedral by National Park Service for ROSSIA

Holy Ascension of Our Lord Cathedral by National Park Service for ROSSIA