#trinity chapel

I lie down this night with God,

And God will lie down with me;

I lie down this night with Christ,

And Christ will lie down with me;

I lie down this night with the Spirit,

And the Spirit will lie down with me;

God and Christ and the Spirit 

Trinity Chapel, one of seven Antarctic churches.

This orthodox church was built in Russia in the 1990s with Siberian pine and then transported on a supply ship all the way to the Russian (formerly Soviet) Antarctic station, Bellingshausen on King George Island. Two monks from a Russian monastery first volunteered to man the church year-round and since then, the monastery has rotated priests annually.

Defying the destructive power of the polar winds, the wooden structure with Russian carvings stands 15 meters tall. The Orthodox church can accomodate up to 30 visitors and caters to the spiritual needs of the personnel from the nearby Russian, Chilean Polish and Korean Stations. Some services are actually conducted in Spanish. The priests’ duties also include praying for the souls of the 64 Russians who lost their lives in various expeditions. Although rarely filled to capacity, the church has performed a wedding ceremony between Russian and Chilean researchers, as well as the occasional baptism.