Description of Historic Place

The Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception, erected in 1929, is a wood-frame building in Winnipegosis. The municipal designation applies to the church and its grounds.

Heritage Value

The Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception, an ambitious village church which references the ornate eighteenth-century Baroque churches of Kiev, Ukraine, is a notable example of the work of Father Philip Ruh, whose `prairie cathedrals' established a standard for Ukrainian Catholic design across Western Canada. This beautifully proportioned structure, set against a forest backdrop near Lake Winnipegosis, was built for a growing congregation and represents a second generation of rural churches ' larger, more elaborate and more permanent than the first utilitarian facilities erected by the pioneers. In this case, a notable example of Ruh's eclecticism, the majestic and symbolic three-dome exterior welcomes the passerby, while the richly detailed interior, adorned with icons by artist Jacob Maydanyk, provides a dignified and comforting liturgical environment. The ecclesiastical compound is completed with a modest bell tower and well-kept cemetery.

Source: Village of Winnipegosis By-law No. 1044, June 20, 1988

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception site include:
- its location on the southern edge of Winnipegosis bordered on its east side by trees
- the building's east-west placement, set well back from the roadway on a large open and grassed plot, accompanied by a cemetery and a compact two-tiered wooden bell tower

Key exterior elements that define the church's impressive Baroque-influenced design include:
- the tall cruciform plan composed of a long rectangular central volume terminating in a polygonal apse, rectangular transepts and ancillary attachments, all of wood-frame construction
- the complex roofline dominated by three banyas (bulbous domes), each crowned by a cupola and cross, and including moderately pitched, cross-gable nave and transept roofs, etc.
- the largest dome on a high octagonal drum with prominent pilaster and cornice details
- the dramatic elevated front (west) facade highlighted by tiered and domed towers at both ends and by a large round-arched entrance with double wood doors and stained-glass fanlight
- the stucco finish in white, accented with sharply defined door and window recesses
- the Romanesque round arch applied to windows, blind tower, drum and cupola detailing, a blind balustrade-style arcade over the main entrance, etc.
- other refined details such as a front oculus, scrollwork and small dentils on drums and gable ends, metal crosses set in the transept gables, etc.


Key interior elements that define the church's traditional Ukrainian Catholic style include:
- the cruciform layout incorporating a narthex, centre-aisle nave, raised sanctuary and cantor's loft
- the high barrel vault and truncated dome ceilings, the former springing from large moulded wood imposts; the latter underscored by pendentives
- the sanctuary with its painted depictions of the Ascension and the four Evangelists set between prominent ceiling ribs, etc.
- the lighting provided by multi-paned windows, with thick wood muntins and panes of coloured glass
- the subdued colours, including white walls, blue ceiling and light blue trim enhanced by the restrained use of iconography and by features such as the warmly stained wood flooring, etc.
- the cantor's loft with its curved wood balustrade and paired balusters painted white