Spruce Island (Alaska)

Spruce Island is a small island in the Kodiak Archipelago of Alaska, noted for its association with the Russian Orthodox missionary tradition in Alaska.

The island’s principal attraction is its religious and historical association with Saint Herman of Alaska; the shoreline and nearshore waters are also important for seabirds and marine life. Access is by private boat and the island is remote with limited facilities, so visits are typically short and focused on the hermitage and natural surroundings.

In the early 19th century the island became a place of hermitage and devotion for Orthodox missionaries; it has remained a site of pilgrimage and religious commemoration since that period.

Geographically it lies in the Kodiak Island Borough in southwestern Alaska and is reached from Kodiak and nearby communities by sea.

• Religious importance: An Orthodox pilgrimage place linked to Saint Herman of Alaska, who lived on the island and whose memory draws devotees.

What to See #

• Hermitage site: A small Russian Orthodox hermitage and chapel associated with Saint Herman of Alaska; the site receives Orthodox pilgrims and is the island's principal cultural landmark.