The Amazing Story of Saint Michael's Religious Iconography

The golden doors to the inner sanctum (that we can't go in) at Saint Michael's Orthodox Cathedral

Time was limited and I could not risk missing the ferry to Juneau.  So time to race across town to Saint Michael's Orthodox Cathedral for a peek inside.

And while racing across town, who do I meet?

Governor Aleksandr Baranov, the Russian Governor of Alaska, some time prior to Sarah Palin.  Now that he's out of office, he can sit staring out to sea, soaking in some Sitka sun.

Speaking of who did I meet ...

I neglected to mention this very interesting gentlemen in my posting on the Sitka National Historical Park.  His name is Mark Sixbey, he is an artist working on site at the Sitka National Historical Park.  He is primarily a woodcarver, although his story goes well beyond that.  He showed me how to make a halibut hook and how to bend wood.

Sitka is full of fascinating and friendly people.  And amazingly friendly dogs.  (Norm The Dog would think Sitka is heaven on earth, given those two things plus cool cool weather.)  Silly me, with the exception of Mr. Sixbey above, I did a terrible job of memorializing these people and these dogs in photos.

Same at Saint Michael's.  I got great pictures of the inanimate objects inside.

But none of the very interesting elderly gentleman who knew something very interesting about the history of this church.

This church burned to the ground in 1966.  But a human chain was formed and all the iconography (except one painting of the Last Supper) was saved.  This included the extremely heavy golden doors pictured above.

Keep in mind that this was a burning building and a number of these objects are metal.  Metal gets hot in fire.

The gentleman said that he and his brother personally saved this chandelier.

During an active fire situation.  He and his brother got it down and to safety.  The next day it took six men to move the same chandelier.

Do you believe in miracles?

You can call it "adrenaline," if your prefer.  And not all of the objects saved were as heavy or difficult to move.  But the process of saving of the church icons counts as a miraculous under my definition.

All that for only a $5.00 admission price.