About ROSSIA

ROSSIA Inc. is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization dedicated to the preservation of Alaska’s Russian Orthodox Churches and iconography.

Started in 2002 by preservation-minded Alaska Native corporation leaders, Orthodox clergy, government officials, architects, and historians, ROSSIA has helped initiate several restoration projects over the past 18 years.

View our most recent project

Our Alaskan communities face tough choices as it is often more costly to restore a historic building than to build a newer, simpler, often less elegant, house of worship. ROSSIA works closely with local communities to encourage them to preserve their original structure and a prominent story of Alaska’s history. Individuals, Native corporations, and foundations are being approached for assistance in what promises to be a multi-million dollar campaign.

Donate now

ROSSIA’s Board of Directors offers assistance to church parishes around the state to preserve these significant landmarks, and we have our work cut out for us. Today Alaska has 33 Orthodox Churches on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2002, the ROSSIA Board identified ten of these churches as requiring urgent restoration and chose to focus on two prominent churches first: St. Nicholas in Alaska’s capital city, Juneau and the Holy Assumption, one of several National Historic Landmark Orthodox churches, in Kenai.

Meet the Board