The liturgy was concelebrated by three Metropolitans together with clergy from various Orthodox jurisdictions, turning the historic settlement into a place of unity and remembrance.

Founded in 1812 by the Russian-American Company, Fort Ross once stood at the southeastern edge of the Russian Empire. When the Russians departed California in 1841—more than a decade before it became the 31st state—Orthodox worship at Fort Ross fell silent for over eighty years. Services were restored on July 4, 2025, through the devotion of Father Vladimir Sakovich of San Francisco’s Holy Trinity Cathedral, who ministered to the first wave of Russian émigrés after the 1917 Revolution. That first liturgy gave rise to what has now become a century-old tradition of annual services at the chapel.

The chapel itself, built in 1824, is closely linked with the legacy of several saints: St. Innocent, Enlightener of Siberia and America; the future Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow and All Russia; St. Sebastian of Jackson; St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco; and the martyr St. Peter the Aleut.

This year’s commemoration became one of the most significant gatherings in Fort Ross’s history. This celebration joined past and present, reminding all who came that this small wooden chapel remains a living symbol of Orthodox faith on the Pacific shore. Watch a clip of the worship service here.