Peter the Aleut
Peter the Aleut | |
|---|---|
Icon of St. Peter the Aleut | |
| Martyr of San Francisco | |
| Born | Cungagnaq (spelling varies) |
| Died | 1815 |
| Venerated in | Eastern Orthodox Church |
| Canonized | 1980 by Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia and the Orthodox Church in America Diocese of Alaska |
| Feast | September 24 December 12 |
| Attributes | Portrayed as an Aleut youth, wearing a traditional gut parka, holding a martyr's cross |
Peter the Aleut (Russian: Пётр Алеу́т, romanized: Pyotr Aleút), born Cungagnaq (spelling varies) (Russian: Чукагнак, romanized: Chukagnak; died 1815), is venerated as a martyr and saint by the Eastern Orthodox Church. He was a native of Kodiak Island (Alutiiq or Sugpiaq), and received the Christian name of Peter when he was baptized into the Orthodox faith by the monks of St Herman's missionaries operating in the north. In 1815, he was allegedly captured by Spanish soldiers near San Pedro, tortured and killed either there or at a nearby location.
The most widely circulated source on Peter is a letter from Semyon Yanovsky written 50 years after the murder. It describes Peter as being murdered and tortured by Spanish soldiers on the orders of the Jesuits. However, historians reject the involvement of the Jesuits because they were not present in the territory at the time. This has led some, including the Orthodox Church in America, to conclude that Franciscans were actually responsible for killing Peter.