St. Nicholas Orthodox Church

This small church, built in 1894, is the only octagonal church in Alaska. The Native Alaskan parish, primarily Tlingit, is the oldest Russian Orthodox Church in this area. Though built by Russian funds with the main icon panels from Russia, no Russians were in Juneau. Protestant missionaries, following government policy, didn't allow Tlingit to be spoken in worship. Juneau was primarily Tlingit who knew the Orthodox used Tlingit in Sitka (Russians had translated the Bible into Tlingit in the 1840s). A short, bald, white-bearded man appeared in dreams to several Tlingit leaders, telling them to go to Sitka for instruction. Arriving there, they recognized the man in the St. Nicholas icon. The Juneau Tlingit then named their church for St. Nicholas. The congregation stands for services chanted in English, Tlingit, and Slavic. A major restoration and preservation project is underway.