Sitka in Sitka Borough, Alaska — Northwest (North America)

Russian Bishop's House

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 1, 2021

1. Russian Bishop's House Marker

Inscription. Step across the street to Novo Arkhangelsk, Imperial Russian colonial capital of Alaska and a busy trade center known as the "Paris of the Pacific.” The Bishop's House is the most visible actual remnant of New Archangel. It was built in 1841-42 by the Russian American Company as part of an agreement with Czar Alexander I granting a monopoly on American trade. The building provided the quarters, private chapel, and office for bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church from 1842 until 1969.

Restored by the National Park Service to its 1853 appearance, the Russian Bishop's House highlights a little-told story in America's history — the lifestyle, economics, and politics of Czarist Russia in Alaska. It also suggests the great changes that affected Sitka's Tlingit people, whose story is told at the Tlingit-Ahna-Hit Visitor Center, one-half mile from here.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1842.

Location. 57° 3.057′ N, 135° 19.899′ W. Marker is in Sitka, Alaska, in Sitka Borough. It can be reached from the

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intersection of Lincoln Street and Monastery Street, on the right when traveling east. Marker is located at the crossroads of trails paralleling Harbor Drive and Lincoln Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 452 Lincoln Street, Sitka AK 99835, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Alaska,

in Tlingit and Haida & Tsimshian Region.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

in the Inside Passage,

on the Ring of Fire,

on the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Russian Empire.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Tlingits, Totems, and the Battle of Sitka (here, next to this marker); Hanlon-Osbakken House (within shouting distance of this marker); Russian Mission Orphanage (within shouting distance of this marker); Finding Common Ground (within shouting distance of this marker); The Priest's House (within shouting distance of this marker); Sitka Directory (about

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 1, 2021

2. Russian Bishop's House Marker

400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Fisheries of S.E. Alaska (about 400 feet away); Emmons House (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sitka.

Historic Sitka Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bradley Owen, August 11, 2026

3. Historic Sitka Marker

The histories, cultures, and lifestyles of the diverse peoples who fashioned Sitka's heritage weave a colorful fabric. To appreciate our community's heritage, plan to visit Castle Hill, St. Michael's Cathedral, the Centennial Building, and the Sheldon Jackson Museum, as well as both units of Sitka National Historical Park.

Displays and audiovisual programs describe the changes wrought in the lifestyle of the proud and self-sufficient Tlingits and their homeland by the equally proud and aggressive Russians, and later, by the Americans.

Welcome to this place, known to the Tlingits as She-it-ka, to the Russians as Novo Arkhangelsk, and to us as Sitka. We hope you will enjoy your visit.

Russian Bishop's House image. Click for full size.

Photographed by National Park Service

4. Russian Bishop's House

Credits. This page was last revised on August 15, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 11, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 463 times since then and 45 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 11, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 3. submitted on August 13, 2026, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. 4. submitted on September 11, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.