Description of Historic Place

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Ascension is a Municipal Heritage Property comprising a four thousand square-meter parcel located approximately 9.5 kilometres southeast of the Village of Arran within the Rural Municipality of St. Philips No. 301. The property features an Orthodox Church, a cemetery, hall and cairn.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Ascension lies in its association with the congregants who built this church. Wishing to practise their faith in their adopted homeland, the fourteen Ukrainian families who homestead this area founded a Orthodox congregation. Built between 1934 and 1937, this representative example of Byzantine architecture was built from donated materials and volunteer labour. Many of the founding congregants are buried in the cemetery located a few dozen metres from the church. A hall was later added and the church became both a place of worship and an important cultural centre.

The heritage value of The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Ascension also resides in the artwork and iconography. Elaborate frescos adorn the walls and ceiling of the nave. The icons which adorn the iconostasis are excellent examples of the Orthodox artistic tradition.

Source:

Rural Municipality of St. Philips No. 301 Bylaw No. 1/97.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Ascension resides in the following character-defining elements:
-the painted artwork on the ceiling and interior walls, such as the Ukrainian Orthodox motifs and the iconography;
-the iconostasis;
-those elements reflecting an association with the original congregants, such as the squared logs, the hall and the form and placement of the headstones in the cemetery;
-those elements reflecting the Byzantine architecture, such as the dome, the cruciform footprint, the church’s east-west orientation.