Other Name(s)
St. Mary's Ukrainian Catholic Church
Hreko Kataliezka Church (Greek Catholic Church) of Galacia
Dnister Ukrainian Catholic Church
Ukrainian Catholic Parish of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Église Hreko Kataliezke (église catholique grecque) de Galacia
Église catholique ukrainienne Dnister
Paroisse catholique ukrainienne de la Nativité de la Vierge Marie bénie
Links and documents
Construction Date(s)
1906/01/01 to 1906/12/31
Listed on the Canadian Register:
2007/02/15
Statement of Significance
Description of Historic Place
St. Mary's Ukrainian Catholic Church, a small wooden building constructed in 1906 and later expanded, is a municipally designated site on a country road near Gimli. The church and its large timber-framed bell tower are set within a landscape of dense bush and a few open fields close to the western shore of Lake Winnipeg. The site's designation applies to the church, the bell tower and the lands they occupy.
Heritage Value
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.
Source: Rural Municipality of Gimli By-law No. 4-99, August 26, 2002
Character-Defining Elements
Key elements that define the heritage character of the site include:
- the placement of the church and bell tower on a traditional east-west axis on a large grassed lot, with the main door facing west
Key elements that define the external heritage character of St. Mary's Ukrainian Catholic Church include:
- the traditional rectangular shape with a steeply pitched gable roof, a simple tin-sheathed onion dome with a traditional Latin cross centered on the ridge, high shiplap sided walls painted white with contrasting coloured trim and a shed-roofed section at the northeast corner
- the simplified angular pointed windows with clear glass, including two equally spaced openings on the north wall and three equally spaced openings on the south elevation
Key elements that define the simplified Ukrainian Catholic character of the church's interior include:
- the unaltered one-room plan, with an open nave containing the altar at the east end, a small mezzanine at the west end and an attached vestry with tongue-and-groove board siding
- the unpretentious materials and finishes, including a high truncated ceiling painted a traditional pale blue, dark-varnished wainscotting, upper walls painted white, fir floors and a pipe that connects the chimney with a small wood-burning stove against the north wall
- essential furnishings and objects, such as the handmade tabernacle on the altar, the small table with a crucifix in front and the simple hand-hewn wooden pews and pulpit against the south wall
Recognition
Jurisdiction
Manitoba
Recognition Authority
Local Governments (MB)
Recognition Statute
Manitoba Historic Resources Act
Recognition Type
Municipal Heritage Site
Recognition Date
2002/08/26
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
RM of Gimli Box 1246 120 Centre Street Gimli MB R0C 1B0
Cross-Reference to Collection
Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier
M0233
Status
Published
Related Places
n/a