National Historic Landmark · Unalaska, Alaska

Church of the Holy Ascension

Historic church in Alaska, United States in Unalaska, Alaska. Built 1826. Added to the National Register in 1970, and a National Historic Landmark.

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Photos via Wikimedia Commons · 6 in the Commons category

What it is

Wikipedia · Church of the Holy Ascension

The Church of the Holy Ascension, also known as the Holy Ascension Orthodox Church, is a prominent landmark in Unalaska, the major community of the western Aleutian Islands in southwestern Alaska. The current church was built in 1894, probably on the site of an 1826 church, and likely using timbers and other elements from the older church. It is one of the oldest churches in Alaska, and is significant as the site from which missionaries brought their religion to the local Aleut people. This evangelization effort was so successful that today's Aleut population is still strongly Orthodox. The church was declared a National Historic Landmark for its architecture, and for its role in the history and culture of Alaska. It is the second cathedral church of the Orthodox Church in America Diocese of Alaska, after St. Michael's Cathedral in Sitka.

Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The record

National Register of Historic Places
Property typeBuilding
AddressIn Unalaska, Unalaska, AK
CountyAleutian Islands County
ListedApr 15, 1970
Reference number70000112
Built1826
Type of placechurch building
DesignationsNational Historic Landmark
Contributing resources2 buildings

The nomination form, the document that argues why this place matters, is in the National Archives: Read the nomination ↗

Visiting

Open to the public
AddressIn Unalaska, Unalaska, AK
Websitedoaoca.org/parishes.html?type=details&id=91
Coordinates53.87684, -166.53834 · Directions ↗
Nearest national park unitAleutian Islands World War II National Historic Area · 3 mi · on Park Atlas
This one you can go inside. Hours and admission change with the season; the website above has the current schedule.

Explore

Why you would stay

Reference

Exists because it is true

Sources

Location, dates, type and contributing counts come from the National Park Service's National Register spatial data. Construction date, architect, style, photograph and encyclopedia link come from Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons, matched on reference number 70000112. Nothing here is transcribed by hand. The description under "What it is" is the opening of the Wikipedia article, CC BY-SA.