Description of Historic Place

St. Andrew’s Roman Catholic Church is a Municipal Heritage Property located at 102 Second Avenue East in the Town of Blaine Lake. Built in 1914, the property features a one-storey, wood-frame church with half-domed bell tower.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of St. Andrew’s Roman Catholic Church lies in its role as an important institution for Roman Catholics in the Blaine Lake district. After attending Mass in nearby communities for several years, Roman Catholics in Blaine Lake constructed St. Andrew’s in 1914. In 1919, the famous Roman Catholic artist Count Berthold von Imhoff gifted original paintings of St. Paul and St. Peter to St. Andrew's and the paintings were attached to the church’s sanctuary. The church continues to host regular services. In addition to religious purposes, the church basement also serves as an important social centre and was, for a time, used as a movie theatre.

The heritage value of the church also lies in its status as an example of the resourcefulness and building skills of the local congregation. The church was built entirely by local labour and its construction was entirely funded by congregation members.

The heritage value also lies in its architecture. The exterior includes Gothic Revival influences, such as pointed-arch windows and doorway with tracery, and the gabled roof. Gothic Revival elements were commonly used on churches constructed on the prairies in the early-twentieth century. The steeple features a bell tower that is topped with a half-dome reminiscent of Eastern European churches and not typical of Roman Catholic Churches in Saskatchewan.

The heritage value of the property also lies in the historical integrity of the church dating from its time of construction. It retains its original wood-frame construction, steeple with bell and stained glass windows. The interior retains its original hardwood floor, arched sanctuary, communion rail and arched ceiling.

Source:

Town of Blaine Lake Bylaw 3-83.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of St. Andrew’s Roman Catholic Church lies in the following character-defining elements:
-those elements that reflect the property’s role as an important institution for Blaine Lake Roman Catholics, such as the Imhoff paintings and the cross above the doorway;
-those elements that reflect the property's connection to the original congregation and builders, such as its position on its original location;
-those elements that reflect the property’s architecture, such as the Gothic Revival influences apparent in the pointed-arch window and door openings, round rose windows, window tracery, steep gable roof and bell tower dome;
-those elements that reflect the building’s historical integrity, such as its original wood-frame construction, steeple bell, stained glass windows, hardwood floor, communion rail and vaulted ceiling.