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The  Russian
Orthodox Church was established in Alaska in 1794 by missionaries
who came on the heels of Russian sea-ottere hunters. The church
spoke up for the rights of the indegenous Aleuts, many of whom were
enslaved by the hunters and fisherman. Both Slavic and native languages
were used in services. "I'm Aleut and Russian," Father
Paul Merculief says to help explain the the synthesis of cultures
in the Nativity of Theotokos Church in Chenaga Bay,
Alaska, which is located on Evans Island, southeast of Ankorage
in the Prince William Sound. "I have greenish eyes and my skin
is kind of dark. I speak Aleut, Russian, Greek, English, can read
some Yupik, and went to seminary in Scranton, Pennsylvania."
Designed by
Ankorage-based ECI/Hyper Inc., the 1,500 square-foot Nativity of
Theotokos Church ("Theotokos" means "Mother of 'God"
in Greek) replaces temporary structures that had housed the congregation
since 1964. That year, a tsunami,  brought
on by a major earthquake, destroyed Chenega, killing 23 people,
or about a third of the population. The reamaining villagers were
forced to resettle in neighboring areas. It was not until 1984 that
the Chenega Corporation (which was formed after the 1971 Alaska
Native Claims Settlement Act) decided to reestablish the village
as Chenega Bay on Evans Island-15 miles away from the original town.
A few years after the move, residents, were beset by yet another
disaster: Chenega Bay was directly hit by the Exxon Valdez oil spill.
The Church itself
has always been an important part of this resilient community, but
for the first time in more that 30 years, it is once again the actual
center of Chenega. "With its new setting, the building becomes
an icon of solidarity," explains architect Terry Hyer. In the
Russian Orthodix faith, says Merculief, "we make the church
alive, and it makes us alive." During services, men stand to
the right, women to the left. "We stand because we are participants
in a living church, not an audience in a theater."
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