Constructed between 1844 and 1848, the Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel is the principal representative of Russian cultural influence in the 19th century in North America. From 1840 to 1872, Sitka was the Seat of the Russian Orthodox Diocese which governed all of North America, and thereafter it continued as the Seat of the Diocese of Alaska. This outstanding example of Russian church architecture was by far the largest and most imposing religious edifice in Alaska until well into the 20th century. The present cathedral is an exact reconstruction of the original building which burned to the ground in January 1966.
For a small donation you can tour the church and get the "rest of the story" from the local priest. The talks are quite informative. The church icons, golden alter doors, and a huge chandelier were saved from the fire by the townspeople who formed a chain. One man performed superhuman feet of lifting the chandelier which weighed four hundred pounds off its chain to be rescued form the encroaching fire. The icon's themselves are somewhat of a miracle. The priest told the story that they were lost at sea when the ship that transported them sunk in the Pacific Ocean. The icons were later recovered from the beach by church members on the outer shore of Sitka. The Sitka Madonna is the symbol of the city and is thought to have miraculous powers. The church was rebuilt with exacting original detail including the sail cloth which covered the dome and walls. Unlike many larger cathedrals it is built on a human scale.