Hidden deep among the birches of Connecticut stands a little…
Hidden deep among the birches of Connecticut stands a little chapel — dreamed up, sketched out, and brought to life by some of Russia’s greatest minds.
I first heard the story behind it from my good friend — the legendary Hollywood actor Peter von Berg.
Peter didn’t just hear about Churaevka — he grew up there, in this village of Russian artists, writers, and musicians.
Soaked in that spirit from the ground up, he became a true Russian soul — a Russian actor in Hollywood, carrying the fire of a whole culture inside him.
This isn’t just another pretty old building.
It’s the Chapel of St. Sergius of Radonezh — a soul carved in stone, built with hope, heartbreak, and sheer grit.
The vision? Born in the heart of Georgy Grebenshchikov, the Siberian writer who wouldn’t let old Russia fade away.
The design? Crafted over decades by Nicholas Roerich, the legendary artist who carried the dream across oceans and wove it through countless paintings — fine-tuning its image, its sacred proportions, long before a single stone was ever laid.
The funding? Pulled together by Igor Sikorsky, the aviation genius who taught helicopters how to fly.
They weren’t just building a chapel.
They were building a lifeline.
Raised between 1923 and 1933 by local hands in the tiny artists’ village of Churaevka, the chapel became a beacon — especially after the tragic destruction of Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral. In a world that felt like it was spinning off its axis, this small stone sanctuary stood tall, stubborn as ever.
Simple? Maybe.
Small? Sure.
But packed to the rafters with soul.
If these stones could talk, they’d tell you about dreams too stubborn to die, and faith too fierce to forget.
A little piece of Russia, stubbornly blooming on American soil — against all odds.
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