Religion in Antarctica

Religion In Antarctica

Antarctica has at least seven buildings used for religious worship services:

• Chapel of the Snows, Antarctica, a Nondenominational Christianity chapel at McMurdo Station, Ross Island;
• Trinity Church, Antarctica, a Russian Orthodox church at Bellingshausen Station, South Shetland Islands;
• Chapel of Santisima Virgen de Lujan, Antarctica, a Catholic chapel at Marambio Base, Seymour Island;
• San Francisco de Asis Chapel, a Catholic chapel at Esperanza Base, Antarctic Peninsula;
• St. Ivan Rilski Chapel, a Bulgarian Orthodox chapel at St. Kliment Ohridski Base, South Shetland Islands; the first Eastern Orthodox edifice in Antarctica, and the southernmost Eastern Orthodox building of worship in the world.
• Santa Maria Reina de la Paz Church, a Catholic church at the Villa Las Estrellas, South Shetland Islands;
• A permanent Catholic chapel made entirely of ice at Belgrano II Base, Coats Land.

The Worldwide Antarctic Program proposes building a Catholic chapel at Mario Zucchelli Station, Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica; while the first Catholic chapel (named after Saint Francis of Assisi) was built in 1976 at the Argentine Esperanza Base. The southernmost Christian chapel (in fact, the Southernmost place of worship of any religion) lies at the Argentine Belgrano II Base.

Although these are mostly for Christian worship, the Chapel of the Snows has also been used for Buddhist and Bahai ceremonies as well.