Description of Historic Place

The Doukhobor Prayer Home is a Municipal Heritage Property situated on four municipal lots in the Town of Blaine Lake. The designation applies to a one-storey, brick building constructed in 1931, surrounded by landscaped grounds.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Doukhobor Prayer Home lies in its association with the establishment of the Doukhobor faith in the Blaine Lake region. Thousands of followers of the Doukhobor faith began emigrating from Russia to Canada seeking land and religious freedom around the turn of the twentieth century. The Doukhobors were led in Canada by Peter W. Verigin and Peter P. Verigin, who in 1899 established three settlement colonies, including the one at Blaine Lake. The Doukhobors in this community held meetings and services in private homes, open-air spaces and schools until the present building was constructed in 1931. Followers of the Doukhobor faith in the Blaine Lake region have been using the prayer home solely as a place of worship ever since.

The heritage value of the property also lies in its architecture. Built of brick, the structure’s exterior has architectural elements typical of a simplified classic style, such as columns supporting three porticos with pediments, the pediment end-gables and the use of symmetry and arched windows. The interior of the building remains largely unadorned, typical of the Doukhobor faith, which believes strongly in personal, not material wealth.

Heritage value is also found in the landscaped grounds in front of the building. The open space on all four lots remains unaltered, upholding the prominence of the large building in comparison to the surrounding structures.

Source:

Town of Blaine Lake Bylaw No. 4/91.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the Doukhobor Prayer Home resides in the following character-defining elements:
-those elements associated with the establishment of the Doukhobor faith in Blaine Lake, such as the building’s original location;
-those exterior architectural elements typical of the simplified classic style, such as the symmetrical placement of the three entrances on the front of the building each covered by pediments supported by columns; the symmetrical placement of the many arched windows and the moderately pitched roof;
-the brick exterior, which exemplifies its prominence and permanency;
-those interior architectural elements that exemplify the Doukhobor faith, such as the light sky-blue colouration throughout the interior, as well as the unadorned walls and chancel.