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Sitka Lutheran Church
The Russian Orthodox clergy viewed the Lutheran Church as a redheaded step child at best. However, they couldn't get around the fact that the Finnish labors and craftsman they were using to do a lot of the work in New Archangel were Lutherans. The Finns were not going to convert to Orthodoxy, and so they needed a church for themselves. Permission for a Lutheran church was grudgingly given, but with the stipulation that the church could not look like a church. It had to appear to be "just another building." We may laugh about such snobbery in America today, but it was very serious in 1843 when the first Lutheran church was built in New Archangel right across the street from Orthodox cathedral. In 1966 both buildings burned to the ground. While St. Michael's went back up in a near perfect replication of the previous building, the Sitka Lutheran Church today looks a lot different from the original structure. Today, it looks very much like a church. Here are some things that Jim and I were given when we visited the Sitka Lutheran Church, in case you would like to know more about this church and its history.
Sitka Lutheran ChurchChurch History Publication
KESSLER ORGAN Kessler Organ #45 was the first pipe organ on the west coast of North America. Manufactured in 1844 in Estonia at the Ernst Kessler Organ Works and shipped to Sitka in 1846, it served the Finnish-Lutheran congre-gation established in 1840 on this site. Aron Sjöstrom, principal organist for many years, also provided leadership in promoting the arts in the Russian American Colony. Mr. Sjöstrom conveyed his perspective on life in Sitka through faithful correspondence to loved ones in Finland. A 68 page packet of letters in Sjöstrom's elegant handwriting gives researchers a rich primary source for probing the multicultural aspects of life in Russian America.
After the 1993 fire which damaged it, Martin Pasi, Master Organ-builder assessed the damage. Though the instrument's casing was severely charred in the blaze, and pipes were melted, Pasi was undaunted by the prospects of restoration. "The mechanics of the organ, the wooden pieces that translate motion of the keys into airflow to the pipes, are still essentially intact, The wood joints that you can see in there, the dovetail joinery, that was made by hand. 150 years ago they didn't have machines to do that kind of thing and they were made a hundred percent. I mean, they were just perfect." Pasi also noted, "It is a very high standard of craftsmanship. The inside - the details of the mechanics - really show the skill that the people had. It's a one-of-a-kind instrument." "I was very surprised about the clever construction of it. It was probably a multipurpose instrument. Not only for church services but probably had some other features like for recitals. But is was also transportable. 'Nothing was sticking out. It was made for shipping. Otherwise some of the parts would have never been built the way this one is built. So that makes it very special." Today, the Kessler Organ continues to play an important role in the life and ministry of Sitka Lutheran Church. Upon completion of Pasi's masterful and loving restoration, the instrument was placed in its specially-constructed balcony Swallow's Nest in the sanctuary. Once again Sitkans and visitors from throughout the world can hear and play this wonderful instrument. |
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