List of Antarctic churches

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Trinity Church on King George Island Trinity Church, Antarctica 7577.JPG
Trinity Church on King George Island
Map of the Antarctic Antarctic-Overview-Map-EN.tif
Map of the Antarctic

There exist a number of Antarctic churches, including both Christian churches on Antarctica proper and those that were built south of the Antarctic Convergence. According to the 6th article of the Antarctic Treaty, Antarctica is defined politically as all land and ice shelves south of the 60th parallel, while the nearest natural boundary is the Antarctic Convergence.

Contents

There are eight churches on Antarctica proper, [1] with another two located south of the Antarctic Convergence. [2] The southernmost of these religious buildings is the Chapel of Our Lady of the Snows, a Catholic chapel carved out of the ice surrounding the Belgrano II Base, at Bertrab Nunatak. [3] While there are currently only a few freestanding structures dedicated solely to Christian religions, most research stations have small meeting rooms that are dual-purposed partially for religious services. These rooms are also commonly used by adherents of other world religions. [4] The Chapel of the Snows also hosts services for other faith groups such as Latter Day Saints, Baháʼí, and Buddhism. [5] These religious structures serve the entire population of Antarctica, which varies from approximately 4,400 in summer to 1,100 in winter. This population is spread across approximately 40 year-round stations and a range of summer-only stations, camps, and refuges. [6]

Churches

This list catalogs churches and other religious buildings built south of the 60th parallel.

NameDenominationLocationYear openedPictureNotes
Chapel of Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Belgrano II Base, Bertrab Nunatak After 1979 [7]
San Francisco de Asis Chapel Catholic Esperanza Base, Hope Bay 1976 San Francisco de Asis Chapel Esperanza Base.jpg [8]
Chapel of Santa María Reina de la Paz Catholic Villa Las Estrellas, King George Island  ? CAPILLA SANTA MARIA REINA DE LA PAZ.JPG [8]
Chapel of Santisima Virgen de Lujan Catholic Marambio Base, Marambio Island 1996 Chapel of the Blessed Virgin of Lujan Marambio Base.jpeg [9]
Chapel of the Snows Interfaith McMurdo Station, Ross Island 1956

Destroyed 1978
Rebuilt 1989

Chapel of the Snows.jpg [10]
St. Ivan Rilski Chapel Eastern Orthodox St. Kliment Ohridski Base, Livingston Island 2003

rebuilt 2011

St.-Ivan-Rilski-Chapel-New-Building.jpg [11]
St. Volodymyr Chapel Eastern Orthodox Vernadsky Research Base, Galindez Island 2010–2011 [1]
Trinity Church Eastern Orthodox King George Island 2004 2005-02-25 Trinity Church at Bellingshaussen, Antarctica.jpg [12]

Antarctic Churches not on Antarctica

This list catalogs churches and other religious buildings built south of the Antarctic Convergence, but north of the 60th parallel.

NameDenominationLocationYear openedPictureNotes
Norwegian Anglican Church
The Whalers Church
Anglican
formerly Norwegian Lutheran
Grytviken, South Georgia 1913 Grytviken church.jpg [13]
Notre-Dame des Vents Catholic Port-aux-Français, Kerguelen Islands 1950s Notre Dame des Vents, Iles Kerguelen.jpg [8]

Map

Antarctica location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Chapel of the Snows
Red pog.svg
San Francisco de Asis Chapel
Red pog.svg
Trinity
Santa María Reina
Red pog.svg
Belgrano II Base Ice Chapel
Red pog.svg
Norwegian Anglican Church
Red pog.svg
Notre-Dame des Vents
Red pog.svg
St. Ivan Rilski Chapel
Red pog.svg
Chapel of Santisima Virgen de Lujan
Red pog.svg
Locations of churches in Antarctica

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Esperanza Base</span> All-civilian Antarctic base

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Argentine Antarctica</span> Department in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belgrano II Base</span> Antarctic base

Belgrano II Base is a permanent, all year-round Argentine Antarctic base and scientific research station named after General Manuel Belgrano, one of the Libertadores and the creator of the Argentine Flag. It is located on Bertrab Nunatak on the Confín Coast, Coats Land.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marambio Base</span> Antarctic Station

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trinity Church (Antarctica)</span> Russian Orthodox church on King George Island

Holy Trinity Church is a small Russian Orthodox church on King George Island near Bellingshausen Station, a Russian research station in Antarctica. It is one of the eight churches on Antarctica. It is the southernmost Eastern Orthodox church in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Martín Base</span> Antarctic base

San Martín Base is a permanent, all year-round Argentine Antarctic base and scientific research station named after General José de San Martín, the Libertador of Argentina, Chile and Perú. It is located on Barry Island, Marguerite Bay, Antarctic Peninsula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chapel of the Snows</span> American church at McMurdo Station

The Chapel of the Snows is a non-denominational Christian church located at the United States' McMurdo Station on Ross Island, Antarctica and is one of eight churches on Antarctica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in Antarctica</span>

Religion in Antarctica is largely dominated by Christianity, with churches being the only religious buildings on the continent. Although used regularly for Christian worship, the Chapel of the Snows has also been used for Buddhist and Baháʼí Faith ceremonies. Some of the early religious buildings are now protected as important historical monuments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Ivan Rilski Chapel</span>

The St. Ivan Rilski Chapel at the Bulgarian base St. Kliment Ohridski on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands is the first Eastern Orthodox edifice in Antarctica, the southernmost Eastern Orthodox building of worship in the world, and one of eight churches on Antarctica.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellsworth Station</span> Antarctic research station in Near Gould Bay, Filchner–Ronne Ice Shelf

Ellsworth Scientific Station was a permanent, all year-round originally American, then Argentine Antarctic scientific research station named after American polar explorer Lincoln Ellsworth. It was located on Gould Bay, on the Filchner Ice Shelf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chapel of the Blessed Virgin of Lujan, Antarctica</span> Roman Catholic chapel on Seymour-Marambio Island, Antarctica

The Chapel of Santisima Virgen de Lujan or the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin of Lujan is a Roman Catholic chapel located at the Argentine base Marambio on Seymour-Marambio Island in Antarctica. It is the third most southern place of worship of any religion. It is one of eight churches on Antarctica. The permanent steel-structured chapel is used for Christian worship by the various Argentine personnel on station. The chapel features a bell tower and cross.

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Belgrano I Base was a permanent, all year-round Argentine Antarctic base and scientific research station, located on Piedrabuena Bay on the Filchner Ice Shelf. It was named after General Manuel Belgrano, one of the Libertadores and the creator of the Argentine flag.

Belgrano III Base was a permanent, all year-round Argentine Antarctic base and scientific research station named after General Manuel Belgrano, one of the Libertadores and the creator of the Argentine Flag. It was located on Berkner Island on the Filchner Ice Shelf.

Sobral Scientific Base was a permanent, all year-round and now only partially active Argentine Antarctic base and scientific research station named after Argentine polar explorer and scientist José María Sobral. It is located on the Filchner Ice Shelf.

The Chapel of Our Lady of the Snows is the name given to a chapel excavated in a cave in the ice near the Belgrano II base in the territory it claims as part of Argentine Antarctica. It is one of eight churches on Antarctica.

References

  1. 1 2 Riedel, Dr. Katja. Faith in Antarctica – Religion in the land of eternal snow. Polar News. April 27, 2016. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  2. Merchant, Brian. Prayer on Ice: The Six Churches Giving Sermons to Scientists on Antarctica Archived 2017-01-03 at the Wayback Machine . Vice. March 18, 2013. Retrieves January 2, 2017.
  3. Inside Antarctica's Catholic Ice Chapel, the World's Southernmost Church. Church Pop. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  4. Gabrielle Walker: Antarctica: An Intimate Portrait of a Mysterious Continent, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013, ISBN   0-15-101520-1
  5. Chapel of the Snows. A history of the Chapel of the Snows. Retrieved December 29, 2016
  6. Antarctica. World Factbook. CIA. February 16, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  7. "not found". churchpop.com. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  8. 1 2 3 Stagnaro, Angelo. Antarctica: Faith in the Land of Eternal Snows. National Catholic Register. February 21, 2016 Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  9. Oratorio de la Capilla de la Base Marambio. Marambio Base. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  10. Chapel of the Snows. Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  11. Ivanov, L. General Geography and History of Livingston Island. In: Bulgarian Antarctic Research: A Synthesis. Eds. C. Pimpirev and N. Chipev. Sofia: St. Kliment Ohridski University Press, 2015. pp. 17–28. ISBN   978-954-07-3939-7
  12. Trinity Church on King George Island. Atlas Obscura. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  13. Quinn, Liam. Grytviken Church, South Georgia. Wondermondo. Retrieved December 29, 2016.