Churches and the Miller house

When Terry and I took the walking tour of 18 buildings in Old Town Kenai, we learned that Kenai is much older than Soldotna and other towns around here. That made sense to us because it is located on the mouth of the Kenai River with easy access from the ocean while Soldotna is located inland.

The Holy Assumption of the Virgin Mary Russian Orthodox Church was constructed in 1894 and is one of the oldest standing Orthodox churches in Alaska. I spoke with Archimandrite Cyril Bulashevich who arrived in Alaska in 1961. The retired priest was wearing his traditional black robe as he answered my questions. He said that the chandelier used to have four rows of candles but the lower row was removed because people kept bumping their heads on it. Even with only three rows, it weighs 1500 pounds.

The literature the priest gave me explains the religion. “The Orthodox church is evangelical, but not Protestant. It is orthodox but not Roman. It isn’t non-denominational-it is pre-denominational. It has believed, taught, preserved, defended and died for the Faith of the Apostles since the Day of Pentecost (over) 2000 years ago.”

The log church called the Chapel of St. Nicholas, was built in 1906 as a tribute to Father Nikolai who brought smallpox vaccine to the Kenai Peninsula.

The Hermansen / Miller House is the oldest frame house in Kenai. A sign by the house reads, “The Hermansens lived here until 1939. Sold in 1951 to the Millers. Over the years housed a grocery, diner, ice cream parlor, post office, Catholic Church, and Kenai’s first hospital/clinic.”