Manitoba Municipal Heritage Site No. 233

 
 

St. Mary’s Ukrainian Catholic Church
SW 31-19-4E, Gimli area

St. Mary’s Ukrainian Catholic Church

Designation Date: August 26, 2002
Designation Authority: R.M. of Gimli
Present Owner: Ruthenium Greek Catholic Parish of Galicia

St. Mary’s Ukrainian Catholic Church is a modest example of how long-established architectural practices from Ukraine were adapted to the pioneer conditions of rural Manitoba to enable early settlers to maintain and foster their religious traditions. The building’s simple form, interior layout, materials and detailing, including a single banya (dome), recall in a humble manner important symbols associated with more elaborate Eastern rite facilities in the Ukraine. From its donated site to lumber sawn from local logs, this church demonstrates the desire among Ukrainians in the Gimli area to give tangible expression to their religious values and practices, despite limited resources and other challenges of settling in a new country.

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