The St. Seraphim Chapel, also known as the Old Church, is a historic Russian Orthodox church in Lower Kalskag, Alaska, United States, in Bethel Census Area, that may include a portion built in 1843, or it may have all been built later. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.[1]

St. Seraphim Chapel
Alaska Heritage Resources Survey
St. Seraphim Chapel is located in Alaska
St. Seraphim Chapel
LocationIn Lower Kalskag, Lower Kalskag, Alaska
Coordinates61°30′50″N 160°21′59″W / 61.51389°N 160.36639°W / 61.51389; -160.36639
Arealess than one acre
Built1843
MPSRussian Orthodox Church Buildings and Sites TR
NRHP reference No.80004586[1]
AHRS No.RUS-017
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJune 6, 1980
Designated AHRSMay 18, 1973

The community has a 1975-built new church used for Russian Orthodox services; this is an old church that is either a later enlargement of an original church built probably in 1843 or it is wholly a later 1800s replacement. The old church reflects the influence of traditional three-part Russian Orthodox ecclesiastical architecture in America expressed in the style of a log cabin. Balanced in the center, it is divided into three parts: vestibule, nave, and altar chamber. Each section is built by squared logs with corner dovetailing and straight butt joints at points where the logs are shorter. A 1979 survey suggested that no other extant log church in Alaska (and perhaps nowhere else in all of North America) of its age possessed comparable construction.[2][3]

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References

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  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ Alfred Mongin and Father Joseph P. Kreta (June 14, 1979). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Russian Orthodox Church Buildings and Sites Thematic Resources". National Park Service.
  3. ^ Alfred Mongin and Father Joseph P. Kreta (June 14, 1979). "St. Seraphim Chapel (Old Church) (AHRS SITE NO. RUS-017)". National Park Service. (continuation sheet from thematic resources document) and accompanying photo from c.1976