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The Chapel was
originally built in the mid-1820s. It was the first Russian
Orthodox structure in North America outside of Alaska,
although Ross had no resident priest. In 1836 Father Ioann
Veniaminov visited the settlement and conducted sacraments
of marriage, baptisms, and other religious services. Father
Veniaminov later became Bishop of Alaska, then Senior Bishop
of the Russian Empire. In 1977 he was glorified Saint
Innocent by the Russian Orthodox Church. Father Veniaminov
had been an active missionary among the Native Alaskan
people. Unlike the Spanish, the Russian priests in North
America baptized only those natives who demonstrated a
knowledge and sincere acceptance of Christian belief. |
“The
chapel is constructed from wooden boards... It has a small
belfry and is rather
plain; its entire interior decoration consists of two icons
in silver rizas. The chapel at Fort Ross receives almost no
income from its members or from those Russians who are
occasional visitors.” Journal of Father Ioann Veniaminov,
1836. The chapel was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake. The
foundation crumbled and the walls were ruined; only the roof
and two towers remained intact. Between 1916 and 1918, the
Chapel was rebuilt using timbers from both the Officials’
Quarters and the Warehouse. On October 5, 1970 the restored
Russian chapel was entirely destroyed in an accidental fire.
It was reconstructed in 1973. Following Russian Orthodox
tradition, some lumber from the burned building was used.
The chapel bell melted in the fire, and was recast in
Belgium using a rubbing and metal from the original Russian
bell. On the bell is a small inscription in Church Slavonic
which reads “Heavenly King, receive all, who glorify Him.”
Along the lower edge another inscription reads, “Cast at the
foundry of Michael Makar Stukolkin, master founder and
merchant at the city of St. Petersburg.” According to Russian Orthodox tradition, the cross on the
chapel cupola has a short bar on the top representing a sign
nailed to the cross: “Jesus of Nazareth-King of the Jews”;
the middle bar represents Christ’s crucifixion; the slanted
bottom bar, to which Christ’s feet were nailed, points
toward heaven (signifying the thief on the right who
repented) and downward (signifying the disposition of the
mocking thief).
In 1925, the Chapel began to be used for Orthodox religious
services, and it continues to be used for such services
every Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and during our Fort Ross Festival on the last Saturday of every July. |
