our lady of sitka

as promised let me chat about highlights from our south east alaska trip. so the big landmark in Sitka is the Cathedral of St Micheal. The Russian Orthodox church is right in the centre of town. Sitka was once the captial of Russian America (until 1867 when Alaska was sold to the States) and has a few buildings from that era. The original church burnt to the ground in 1966 during a fire downtown, but has been completely restored. all the art was saved as was the chandelier which was hauled out by two guys while the church was on fire. the next day they went to move it and it took 6 men to move it as the chandelier weighs over 300 pounds - amazing what people can do in emergencies.

the madonna above is of the older russian icons. she is susposed to heal eye problems