St. Seraphim Chapel Explained

St. Seraphim Chapel
Nrhp Type:nrhp
Location:In Lower Kalskag, Lower Kalskag, Alaska
Coordinates:61.5139°N -160.3664°W
Built:1843
Added:June 6, 1980
Area:less than one acre
Refnum:80004586
Designated Other1:Alaska Heritage Resources Survey
Designated Other1 Name:Alaska Heritage Resources Survey
Designated Other1 Date:May 18, 1973
Designated Other1 Color:
  1. A8EDEF
Designated Other1 Abbr:AHRS
Designated Other1 Number:RUS-017
Designated Other1 Num Position:bottom

The St. Seraphim Chapel, also known as the Old Church, is a historic Russian Orthodox church in Lower Kalskag, Alaska, United States, in Bethel Census Area, that may include a portion built in 1843, or it may have all been built later. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

The community has a 1975-built new church used for Russian Orthodox services; this is an old church that is either a later enlargement of an original church built probably in 1843 or it is wholly a later 1800s replacement. The old church reflects the influence of traditional three-part Russian Orthodox ecclesiastical architecture in America expressed in the style of a log cabin. Balanced in the center, it is divided into three parts: vestibule, nave, and altar chamber. Each section is built by squared logs with corner dovetailing and straight butt joints at points where the logs are shorter. A 1979 survey suggested that no other extant log church in Alaska (and perhaps nowhere else in all of North America) of its age possessed comparable construction.[1] [2]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: [{{NRHP url|id=64000002}} National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Russian Orthodox Church Buildings and Sites Thematic Resources ]. Alfred Mongin and Father Joseph P. Kreta . June 14, 1979 . National Park Service.
  2. Web site: [{{NRHP url|id=80004586}} St. Seraphim Chapel (Old Church) (AHRS SITE NO. RUS-017) ]. Alfred Mongin and Father Joseph P. Kreta . June 14, 1979 . National Park Service. (continuation sheet from thematic resources document) and