Trinity Church, Antarctica

Trinity Church (русский. Церковь Святой Троицы) is a small Russian Orthodox church on the King George Island near Russian Bellingshausen Station in Antarctica. It is the southernmost Eastern Orthodox church in the world.

The ambitious project to establish a permanent church or even a monastery on Antarctica surfaced during the 1990s. A charity named Temple for Antarctica (Храм - Антарктиде) was approved by Patriarch Alexius II and received donations from across Russia. They organized a competition for the project that was won by architects from Barnaul P.I. Anisifirov, S.G. Rybak and A.B. Schmidt.

The church is a 15m-high wooden structure built in traditional Russian style. It can accommodate up to 30 worshippers. The structure was built out of Siberian Pine by Altay carpenters led by K.V. Khromov, then dismantled, taken by truck to Kaliningrad and shipped to King George Island by the Russian supply ship Academician Vavilov. It was assembled on a high ground near the sea shore by the staff of Bellingshausen Station, under the general supervision of the 30-year-old Father Kallistrat(Romanenko), who was to become the church's first priest. Kallistrat, a hieromonk of Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra, had previously served at the Lavra's skete on Anzer Island in the subarctic Solovki Archipelago.

The iconostasis of the church was created by Palekh painters. The church bells were commissioned by the descendants of Sergey Muravyov-Apostol.

The church was consecrated on February 15 by Theognost, the Bishop of Sergiyev Posad and the Namestnik (abbot) of Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra, who visited Antarctica for this occasion, along with a number of other clerics, pilgrims, and sponsors.

The church is manned year-around by one or two Orthodox priests, who are hieromonks of Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra volunteering for the Antarctic assignment. Similarly to the personnel of most year-round Antarctic stations, the priests are rotated annually by the Lavra; however, several of them, including Father Kallistrat, chose to come back to King George Island for another one-year tour of duty after a year or two on the mainland.

Among the priests' tasks are praying for the souls of the 64 Russian people who have died in Antarctic expeditions and serving the spiritual needs of the staff of Bellingshausen Station and other nearby stations. Besides Russian polar researchers, the church is often visited by their colleagues from the nearby Chilean, Polish, Korean, and other research stations, as well as by tourists. For the benefit of Latin American visitors, some church services are conducted in Spanish.

On occasions, the priest baptizes new adherents of Christianity in the Southern Ocean. On 29 January, 2007, the priest of the church celebrated what was likely the first ever church wedding in Antarctica. The husband, Eduardo Aliaga Ilabaca, is a staff member of a Chilean antarctic base, who had joined the Orthodox Church soon after the opening of the Antarctic temple; his wife, Angelina Zhuldybina, is Russian.

When not busy with church work, priests help out with the general maintenance of the Bellingshausen station.

See also

  • Religion in Antarctica
  • St. Ivan Rilski Chapel

Notes and references

Шаблон:Reflist

External links

Шаблон:Commonscat

Listed in the following categories:
Post a comment
Tips & Hints
Arrange By:
There are no tips nor hints for Trinity Church, Antarctica yet. Maybe be you will be the first one to post useful information for fellow travellers? :)
2.6/10
51 people have been here
Map
0.2km from Unnamed Road, Antarctica Get directions

Trinity Church, Antarctica on Foursquare

Trinity Church, Antarctica on Facebook

Hotels nearby

See all hotels See all
Citylife Wellington Hotel

starting $182

InterContinental Wellington

starting $264

Travelodge Hotel Wellington

starting $137

Quest Wellington Apartments

starting $257

Gilmer Apartment Hotel

starting $161

The Terrace Villa Serviced Apartments

starting $151

Recommended sights nearby

See all See all
Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
St. Kliment Ohridski Base

St. Kliment Ohridski Base (Bulgarian: База св. Климент Охридски, Ba

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Deception Island

Deception Island is an island in South Shetland off the Antarctic

Similar tourist attractions

See all See all
Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia

The St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (български. Храм-пам

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Tallinn

The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is an orthodox church in the Tallinn

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Church of Ayios Lazaros, Larnaca

The Church of Ayios Lazaros (Greek: Ιερός Ναός Αγίου Λαζάρου, also

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Russian Church, Sofia

The Russian Church (Bulgarian: Руска църква, Ruska tsarkva),

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
St Nedelya Church

Holy Sunday Church (български. църква „Света Неделя“ Sveta Nedelya

See all similar places