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Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Transfiguration

Strathclair, Manitoba, R0J, Canada

Formally Recognized: 1990/10/10

Primary elevation, from the west, of the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Transfiguration, Menzie area, 2006; Historic Resources Branch, Manitoba Culture, Heritage and Tourism, 2006
Primary Elevation
Contextual view, from the east, of the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Transfiguration, Menzie area, 2006; Historic Resources Branch, Manitoba Culture, Heritage and Tourism, 2006
Contextual View
Interior view of the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Transfiguration, Menzie area, 2006; Historic Resources Branch, Manitoba Culture, Heritage and Tourism, 2006
Interior

Other Name(s)

n/a

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1924/01/01 to 1924/12/31

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2007/03/08

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

The Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Transfiguration, completed in 1924, is a wood-frame building in the Menzie area. The municipal designation applies to the church, its bell tower and cemetery, and the grounds they occupy.

Heritage Value

The Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Transfiguration is a fine example of a rural Ukrainian Orthodox church, typically modest in its form and detail, but distinguished by twin facade towers, shining banyas (domes) and complex lines gracing the entrance porch. The building's basic design recalls churches in the Boyko region of Western Ukraine, with emphasis given to the front by the addition of corner towers, an adaptation encouraged in Manitoba by Father Philip Ruh, a prominent church architect as well as a cleric. Built on donated land by a congregation that had been worshipping in nearby homes, the attractive structure, set within the quiet formality of its sheltered, well-kept roadside plot, is a dignified expression of the religious architectural traditions introduced to Manitoba by Ukrainian pioneers.

Source: Rural Municipality of Strathclair By-law No. 22/90, October 10, 1990

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Transfiguration site include:
- its pastoral location northeast of Menzie and the building's east-west placement, removed from the grid road on a large tree-sheltered clearing containing a cemetery
- the separate well-crafted 1930 bell tower, of wood-frame construction, in three tiers with a banya matching those on the church

Key exterior elements that define the church as a fine interpretation of vernacular religious architecture from Western Ukraine include:
- the three-chambered, largely symmetrical massing, each volume squared with the gable-roofed nave the tallest and largest, all of wood-frame construction on a concrete foundation
- the symbolic three banyas, decorative and modest in size over the nave, all sheathed in silver-coloured metal, set on octagonal drums and topped by Orthodox crosses
- the complex, symmetrical facade featuring a steep gable end, squared corner towers and a lower entrance porch with attractive gable-hip rooflines and a prominent wooden sunburst motif over the double main doors
- the orderly fenestration composed of round-arched windows with transoms and wood surrounds and a six-pane oculus in the west gable end
- the unpretentious materials, finishes and features, including the horizontal white-painted wood siding, matching trim, wood shingles, chevron-like insets on the towers' banya drums, etc.

Key elements that define the church's carefully appointed interior include:
- the traditional plan incorporating a small narthex, a centre-aisle nave with a high barrel vault ceiling, a compact raised sanctuary and a west-end loft supported by two turned posts
- the wooden iconostas, painted white with gold trim and elegantly detailed
- the modest materials and finishes, including off-white wall panelling, light blue ceiling tiles set in a diagonal pattern, coloured and pebbled transom glass, wood-panelled porch doors, etc.
- details such as the stencilled dentil motif at the base of the ceiling, the arched porch and nave entranceways, the round-arched opening to the enclosed loft staircase, etc.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

Manitoba

Recognition Authority

Local Governments (MB)

Recognition Statute

Manitoba Historic Resources Act

Recognition Type

Municipal Heritage Site

Recognition Date

1990/10/10

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 Strathclair 127 Minnedosa Street Box 160 Strathclair MB R0J 2C0

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

M0052

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

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