Russian Heritage
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PhotoBy: Kristen Kemmerling
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Two domes from a Russian Orthodox church in Dutch Harbor
Elegant onion domes and colorful, stylized icons bear witness to the influence of some
of Alaska's earliest settlers.
Russian trappers and fur traders
had already begun to take advantage of Alaska's wealth of natural resources by
1784, when Grigory Shelikhov established the first permanent colony at Three
Saints Bay on Kodiak Island.
Ten years later, Catherine the
Great acceded to Shelikhov's request to establish an Orthodox mission there.
The arrival of priests and missionaries eased some of the tensions between the
merchants and the Alaska Natives who were their main source of labor.
In 1799, the Russian-American Company, under the management of Aleksandr
Baranov-an administrator hired by Shelikhov-was granted a monopoly on trade in
the region and given governmental authority. From that point until Alaska was
purchased by the United States, church and state were inextricably intertwined.
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PhotoBy: Frank Flavin
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Russian cultural heritage dancers perform a folk dance on stage
Today, Orthodox Christianity
plays a major role in the lives of many Alaska Natives and others in the
Southeast, Southwest, and Southcentral regions. Visitors to Sitka, Juneau, and
the Aleutian Islands in particular can explore the lovely churches and their
beautiful artwork, and are usually very welcome to participate in a service if
they choose to.