Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Historic church building in St. Paul, United States.
Sts. Peter and Paul Church is a Russian Orthodox church on St. Paul Island, Alaska, built in 1907 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. It is a small Byzantine-tradition building whose onion domes have been repeatedly damaged in storms and replaced. It belongs to the Diocese of Alaska of the Orthodox Church in America.
A first church on St. Paul Island was built in 1779 according to legend, and a second in 1819 atop the island's tallest hill. The present church dates from 1907 and was called one of the most ambitiously designed and effectively executed small churches of the Byzantine tradition in Alaska. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
The church belongs to the Diocese of Alaska of the Orthodox Church in America, and its Russian name is Св. Церковь Петра и Павла. Its patronal feast of Saints Peter and Paul is kept on 29 June, the day the Unangan congregation of St. Paul Island celebrates its church.
The church stands on St. Paul Island in the Bering Sea, reachable only by air or sea, so visits depend on transport and weather. The onion domes have been repeatedly damaged by storms and replaced, so the exterior seen today differs from the 1907 original. Confirm service times with the Diocese of Alaska before travelling.
The marble altar was imported directly from Italy, showcasing a level of craftsmanship that was exceptional for the time. This attention to fine materials and detail appears throughout the building's interior.
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