Description of Historic Place

The Holy Rosary Shrine is a Municipal Heritage Property located in the Rural Municipality of Grass Lake No. 381. The property features a wood-frame church, cemetery, and a shrine to the Blessed Virgin Mary set among several trees.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Holy Rosary Shrine resides in the church’s architecture. Constructed and decorated between 1918 and 1920, this vernacular rural church is inspired by the European churches familiar to its German parishioners. The single tower and Georgian windows form the centrepiece of the front façade. The design of the interior displays the influence of Baroque Classicism, particularly evident in the arched ceiling, supported by a series of Ionic columns.

The heritage value of the Holy Rosary Shrine also lies in the artistic work of Berthold Von Imhoff. Due in large part to Imhoff’s artistry, this church is more ornate than many country churches. A German painter who settled in Saskatchewan, Imhoff specialised in decorating the interior of Catholic churches, and his artistic work is featured on most of the ceilings and walls. The centerpiece of Imhoff’s work here are the series of 15 murals painted on the arched ceiling that depict the mysteries of the rosary.

The heritage value of the Holy Rosary Shrine also lies in its association with the local Catholic community. The Holy Rosary Parish was located here between 1911 and 1975. As a rural parish church, the site includes a cemetery. Since 1932, the church and grounds have hosted an annual daylong pilgrimage in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Source:

R.M. of Grass Lake No. 381 Bylaw No. 3-98.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the Holy Rosary Shrine resides in the following character-defining elements:
-those elements of the church architecture that reflect a Baroque Classical influence, such as the tower and finials, the segmented rounded-arch and rose windows and the expression of the Ionic order in the interior;
-Imhoff’s artistic work;
-those elements that reflect the church’s association with the community, such as the open space used for the pilgrimage, the cemetery and the church’s location on its original site.