Description of Historic Place

St. Elia Ukrainian Orthodox Church is a Municipal Heritage Property located within the Rural Municipality of Calder No. 241, occupying two municipal lots in the Hamlet of Wroxton. The property features a one-storey wood-frame Ukrainian Orthodox church constructed in 1952.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the St. Elia Ukrainian Orthodox Church lies in its association with the Ukrainian pioneers who settled the area. Constructed in 1952, the church replaced an earlier building south of the hamlet. The highly-ornate church speaks to the piety of the local Ukrainian population and its design in traditional Orthodox style represents a desire to preserve their cultural identity. As such, the St. Elia Ukrainian Orthodox Church stands as a significant contributor to the cultural landscape of Saskatchewan.

The heritage value of the property also lies in the property’s use of traditional Ukrainian architecture. The church was designed by Alex Semenick in the Byzantine Revival style common among Orthodox churches in Saskatchewan. This style is reflected in the property’s central octagonal dome, twin dome-topped towers, rose windows, decorative columns, tall rounded windows and rounded roofline. Following the traditional design, the church is symmetrically composed in the form of a crucifix.

Heritage value also lies in the historical integrity of the church's interior. The interior is comparatively subdued, reflecting the changing style of Ukrainian Orthodox churches in the 1950s. This subdued style is reflected in the property’s mixing of limited ornamentation and decoration with traditional materials, including stained glass windows and an ornate chandelier.

Source:

Village of Wroxton Bylaw 2-96.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the St. Elia Ukrainian Orthodox Church resides in the following character-defining elements:
-those elements that reflect the property’s Byzantine Revival architecture, including the octagonal central dome, dome-topped towers, columns, rose windows, rounded archways, symmetrical composition and the layout in the shape of a crucifix;
-historical interior elements, such as wood flooring, stained glass windows and the chandelier.