Description of Historic Place

St. Demetrius Orthodox Church is a Municipal Heritage Property located within the Rural Municipality of Preeceville No. 334 approximately 8 km northwest of the Town of Preeceville. The property features a one-storey log church constructed in 1918, a stand-alone bell tower and a cemetery.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the St. Demetrius Orthodox Church lies in its status as a prominent physical landmark in the community. St. Demetrius was constructed in 1907 and is one of the oldest public buildings in the municipality. Constructed on a large hill overlooking the community of Lady Lake, the church is visible from a great distance, contributing to its landmark status.

The heritage value of the property also lies in its status as a cultural landmark. The church has served the local Romanian community since 1907 and has been an important gathering place for the community for the past century. The cemetery reflects the property’s cultural heritage through its extensive use of Eastern Orthodox crosses and the use of the Cyrillic alphabet on many headstones. The cemetery also provides a tangible link between the area’s pioneers and the current residents.

The heritage value of the property also lies in its adaptation of Orthodox church design to a small rural church. The exterior of the building is unique for its unadorned simple form, rare among Greek Orthodox churches of the time. The exterior features a hip roof and rectangular form with a small rounded nave on the east side of the building. A few yards from the church is a small two-storey bell tower that exhibits a simple style similar to the church. More typical of Orthodox Church construction, the interior space features a heavily adorned sanctuary with numerous wood mouldings, an intricately carved door, which separated the sanctuary from the nave, and ten icons depicting religious figures important to the congregation.

Source:

Rural Municipality of Preeceville No. 334 Bylaw 4-1990.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of St. Demetrius Orthodox Church resides in the following character-defining elements:
-those elements that reflect the property's status as a physical landmark, including its position on its original location on the crest of a large hill;
-those elements that reflect the property's status as a cultural landmark, including its Orthodox crosses and Cyrillic characters used on many grave markers;
-the simple form and massing of the church and bell tower;
-the arrangement of the church and bell tower as separate entities;
-elements typical of a traditional Orthodox church interior, including the ornamentation of the sanctuary in the wood moulding, recessed bay, carved wood door and placement of the icons.