Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church of America. Diocese of Alaska

The first organized Christian missionary efforts in Alaska were the work of missionaries of the Russian Orthodox Church. During the period of Russian rule in Alaska and for many years after purchase by the U.S., that church served both as a Christianizing and an educational force. The first Orthodox mission was established in Kodiak in 1794. The first permanent see of the Orthodox Church in Alaska was established in 1840 in Sitka under Bishop Innocent (John Veniaminov). Under his supervision, efforts were made to extend missionary work into the interior of Alaska. One result was the establishment of the Kvikhpak (Yukon) Mission in 1845. The cultural impact of the church upon Alaskan Natives was extensive both in this region and elsewhere in the state, and Orthodoxy still plays a significant role in many parts of Alaska.

From the description of Records [microform], 1843-1932. (UAA/APU Consortium Library). WorldCat record id: 60749394

The archives of most of the Russian Orthodox Churches in Alaska were deposited in the Library of Congress by 1940. These records were obtained from churches and chapels throughout Alaska which had been established by Russian Orthodox missionaries.

From the description of Records : [microform], 1733-1938, 1984. (UAA/APU Consortium Library). WorldCat record id: 69671179

Chronology

• 1741, July: Discovery of Alaska mainland by Vitus Bering and Aleksei Chirikov in two different locations
• 1743: Temporary Russian stations established along the discovery route
• 1759, Nov.: Establishment of the Irkutsk, Nerchinsk, and Iatkutsk Diocese
• 1784, Aug.: Grigorii Shelikhov formed a permanent Russian settlement at Three Saints Bay, Kodiak Island
• 1794, Sept.: Establishment of the first Russian mission on Kodiak Island
• 1796, July: Establishment of the Kodiak Vicariate under the Irkutsk Diocese
• 1799, July: Charter granted by Emperor Paul I to the Russian-American Company
• 1799: Aleksandr A. Barnov established the first settlement at Novo-Arkhangelsk on Sitka Island, now called Baranov Island
• 1802, June: Massacre at Novo-Arkhangelsk by Tlingit Indians
• 1804: Tlingit settlement destroyed, new fort built; became Sitka, which was the center of Russian activity in North America until 1866
• 1808: A small chapel erected on Unalaska
• 1812, Sept.: Fort Ross built on the California shoreline, north of San Francisco Bay
• 1816: Aleksei Sokolov, the first Russian priest in Novo-Arkhangelsk, began service
• 1824, July: Ivan Evseviev Popov (Anginskii), later called Ioann Veniaminov, and subsequently Bishop Innokentii, appointed first missionary priest to Unalaska
• 1834, Aug.: Veniaminov transferred to Sitka
• 1840, Dec.: Veniaminov became Bishop of the Kamchatka, Kurile, and Aleutian Islands Diocese Count Nikolai Aleksandrovich Protassov, Over Procurator of the Synod, issued ukaz proclaiming the establishment of a special diocese formed by the churches of Russian American settlements and neighboring areas
• 1859, Mar.: Fedor Ekaterinovskii made Bishop and placed in charge of the Novo-Arkhangelsk Vicariate
• 1866, Nov.: Petr Popov made Bishop
• 1867, Oct.: Ceremony of transfer of Alaska to the United States
• 1868, Jan.: Veniaminov became Metropolitan of Moscow
• 1870, June: Stefan Egorov Mitropolskii became Bishop of newly established ecclesiatical center of the Aleutian and Alaskan Diocese Church headquarters transferred from Sitka to San Francisco
• 1878, Dec.: Nikolai Pavlovich Zass became Bishop Nestor
• 1887, Dec.: Vasilii Sokolovskii became Bishop Vladimir
• 1891, Sept.: Mikhail Zakharovich Ziorov became Bishop Nikolai, the last Bishop of the Aleutian Islands and Alaska
• 1900: Diocese title changed to Aleutian Islands and North America
• 1905: Episcopal See transferred from San Francisco to New York

From the guide to the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church of America, Diocese of Alaska Records, 1733-1938, (Manuscript Division Library of Congress)