Holy Resurrection Church
In Belkofski, Belkofski, AKThe first R. 0. church was built on this island during the period 1870-1878, at a place of encampment about five miles from the present church site. The present church was constructed about 1935, using materials that had to be brought to the island, as no trees grow here. The workmanship was all local, but the design was a sophisticated utilization of traditional patterns integrated with consonant eclectic details. Of all the R. 0. village churches and chapels in Alaska, this may be the best example of effective balance and integration of classic designs to produce a building pleasing to the eye and utile in its purpose.
Even though built at a relatively late date in comparison to some of the finer remaining R. 0. Churches, the designs in this one are a pool fed from a number of streams. The basic design is organized among the traditional three segments, plus an open entry porch that serves to integrate the design into the angle of the hill. The overall length of the three segments, more than 68', and the maximum width of 26'11", are in pleasing proportion to the wall heights and the medium-high angle of the stepped gable roofs. In front (west) of the vestibule, there is yet another small roof over the entrance outside the door that in design offsets the otherwise heavy bulk of the cupola that rises above the vestibule. This serves, in turn, as the base for an eight-windowed octagonal parapet, surmounted by a great green onion-cap form that sprires the high cross. Throughout the building is an array of windows designed to enhance every aspect of the design from the altar to the highest point of the onion-shaped crown. The design embodies the best of tradition and the best of eclecticism for a living church, especially one in a place remote from most of the eastern and western worlds from which it springs.
Local significance of the building:
Even though built at a relatively late date in comparison to some of the finer remaining R. 0. Churches, the designs in this one are a pool fed from a number of streams. The basic design is organized among the traditional three segments, plus an open entry porch that serves to integrate the design into the angle of the hill. The overall length of the three segments, more than 68', and the maximum width of 26'11", are in pleasing proportion to the wall heights and the medium-high angle of the stepped gable roofs. In front (west) of the vestibule, there is yet another small roof over the entrance outside the door that in design offsets the otherwise heavy bulk of the cupola that rises above the vestibule. This serves, in turn, as the base for an eight-windowed octagonal parapet, surmounted by a great green onion-cap form that sprires the high cross. Throughout the building is an array of windows designed to enhance every aspect of the design from the altar to the highest point of the onion-shaped crown. The design embodies the best of tradition and the best of eclecticism for a living church, especially one in a place remote from most of the eastern and western worlds from which it springs.
Exploration/settlement; Architecture; Social History
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
About National Register Listings
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.
During World War II, the Japanese invaded and occupied two islands in Alaska's Aleutian chain, Attu and Kiska. This was the only foreign occupation of American soil during the war.