Description of Historic Place

Kristiania Lutheran Church is a Municipal Heritage Property located within the Village of Atwater. The property features a one-storey, wood-frame church with bell tower constructed in 1920.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Kristiania Lutheran Church lies in its representation of church architecture that was common across rural Saskatchewan in the 1920s. Typical of Lutheran churches of the period, the property features elements of the Gothic Revival style, visible in the central bell tower topped with an eight-sided bell-shaped spire, pointed-arch windows and tall vertical proportions. These elements combine to distinguish the property from the surrounding residential and commercial properties.

The heritage value of the property also lies in its central role in the spiritual life of the community. The Kristiania Lutheran congregation was formed in 1906 and grew as the town expanded. In 1920, the present building was completed on the foundation of an earlier structure, which was destroyed by a tornado. The property was the spiritual home of local Lutherans until the early 1980s, when regular services ended. However, funerals and weddings continued in the church for many years. Today the church stands as a landmark, reminding residents of the perseverance and piety of the area’s pioneers.

Source:

Village of Atwater Bylaw No. 1-1986.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the Kristiania Lutheran Church resides in the following character-defining elements:
-those elements that reflect its representation of 1920s church architecture in rural Saskatchewan, including central bell tower, eight-sided bell-shaped spire, pointed-arch windows, tall vertical proportions, rectangular form and regular massing;
-those elements that reflect the church's central role in the spiritual history of the Atwater community, including the church’s position on its original location.