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Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Roman Catholic Church

Mountain (South), Manitoba, R0L, Canada

Formally Recognized: 1991/03/29

Primary elevation, from the west, of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Roman Catholic Church, Camperville, 2006; Historic Resources Brance, Manitoba Culture, Heritage and Tourism, 2006
Primary Elevation
Contextual view, from the northeast, of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Roman Catholic Church, Camperville, 2006; Historic Resources Branch, Manitoba Culture, Heritage and Tourism, 2006
Contextual View
nterior view of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Roman Catholic Church, Camperville, 2006; Historic Resources Branch, Manitoba Culture, Heritage and Tourism, 2006
Interior

Other Name(s)

n/a

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1912/01/01 to 1912/12/31

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2006/12/12

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Roman Catholic Church, completed in 1912, is a large fieldstone building in Camperville on Lake Winnipegosis. The provincial designation applies to the church, its cemetery and the grounds they occupy.

Heritage Value

Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Roman Catholic Church, the largest Roman Catholic mission church in Manitoba, is fittingly known as the "Cathedral of the North." From its location on the shore of Lake Winnipegosis, its tall spire has been a landmark and welcome sight to lake travellers for nearly a century. The ambitious, handsomely detailed fieldstone structure, with its French-Canadian-influenced form, is a tribute to the faith, vision and determination of a diverse group of early parishioners, including the original Metis, nearby Aboriginals and settlers from Quebec who arrived in the 1880s, who all worked under the direction of Father Adelard Chaumont. The stately exterior has endured while the interior had to be rebuilt after a devastating 1930 fire.

Source: Manitoba Heritage Council Minute, May 26, 1990

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the site character of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Roman Catholic Church include:
- its location on the southern edge of the village of Camperville, with clear views from the church to Lake Winnipegosis to the east
- the building's east-west placement on a large open plot with an adjacent cemetery

Key exterior elements that define the structure's Roman Catholic Quebec-style character include:
- the high massive elongated form, based on a Latin cross plan and composed of a narrow gable-roofed central volume, lower shed-roofed aisles and shallow gabled-roofed transepts
- the vertically tiered main (west) facade with its stepped and slightly flared rooflines, high square tower topped by a belfry, spire and Latin cross, and tall narrow windows
- the thick fieldstone walls of moderately sized stones fixed in rough horizontal courses by thick, light grey mortar, with smooth-cut stone used to highlight window surrounds and gable-springers
- the Romanesque round-arched openings, including the double-door main entrance and fanlight, the single and paired tower and nave windows, the east side's basement and upper-level openings, etc.
- the additional fenestration provided by large oculi in the tower and transepts, etc.
- the tower details, including the belfry's thin classical columns, cornice and round-arched openings with keystones, the metal bell, the narrow metal-clad spire with blind lucarnes, etc.
- other details such as wide eaves, sheet metal sheathing on the elaborate cornices, raised gable ends and trim, the broad brick chimney, the stout metal-clad crosses on the transepts and rear gable end, etc.

Key elements that define the finely appointed character of the church's reconstructed interior include:
- the traditional plan incorporating a modest narthex, long nave, elevated sanctuary, sacristy and hall
-the spacious nave with a lofty central ceiling on large square wood columns with modest moulded pedestals and capitals, lower aisle ceilings and pews separated by centre and side aisles
- the large sanctuary marked by a broad arch and containing a wide service platform, etc.
- the striking west-end choir loft with a dramatic curved front of stained wood and scrolled detailing, etc.
- the soft natural light from well-placed coloured-glass windows recessed in the thick stone walls
- the attractive and carefully conceived use of finely finished wood on the pews, doors and floors, the twin balcony staircases with balustrades, etc.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

Manitoba

Recognition Authority

Province of Manitoba

Recognition Statute

Manitoba Historic Resources Act

Recognition Type

Provincial Heritage Site

Recognition Date

1991/03/29

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

n/a

Theme - Category and Type

Building Social and Community Life
Religious Institutions

Function - Category and Type

Current

Religion, Ritual and Funeral
Religious Facility or Place of Worship

Historic

Architect / Designer

n/a

Builder

n/a

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

Main Floor, 213 Notre Dame Avenue Winnipeg MB R3B 1N3

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

P057

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

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