St. Nicholas Orthodox Church

Built at the Request of the Tlingit Community

St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Juneau is one of the most unusual Orthodox churches in Alaska: it was built in 1893-1894 at the request of the local Tlingit community, and the construction itself was carried out by Tlingit people working alongside Serbian miners. The land for the church was donated by Tlingit leader Yees Ganalax, with plans and funding sent from Russia. Bishop Nikolai (Ziorov) consecrated the church in 1894, and it has remained part of the civic life of Juneau ever since.

Today the parish keeps an active liturgical life: Saturday Vigil at 5:00 pm (followed by confession), and on Sundays the Third and Sixth Hours at 9:40 am followed by Divine Liturgy at 10:00 am. A small bookstore on the property offers icons and spiritual literature, and the parish itself relies heavily on donations from parishioners and visitors to keep its doors open.

If you find yourself in Juneau, it is worth stopping by this small white-and-blue church with a gold cross - a place that has carefully preserved more than a century of shared history between Russians, Tlingit people, and Serbs, united by a common faith.