Description of Historic Place

St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church, a stucco-finished log structure completed in 1913, stands on a grassed site near the western limits of Poplarfield. The municipal designation applies to the church, its free-standing bell tower and the large lot they occupy.

Heritage Value

St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church, a modest three-chamber structure that rises in layers to a broad central dome, is one of only a few log-constructed Ukrainian churches that remain in Manitoba. It also is the oldest known building in the Rural Municipality of Fisher and the only structure to have been located in both the original and current Poplarfield townsites. Built under the direction of Ken Marykuca, the church is a well-maintained example of ancestral architectural prototypes from the Boyko region of Western Ukraine, one whose interior also is noted for its fine iconography by artist Jacob Maydanyk. The highly visible church, actively used for nearly seven decades, continues to be a valued religious, cultural and architectural landmark in the northern Interlake region.

Source: Rural Municipality of Fisher By-law No. 1034, March 5, 1997

Character-Defining Elements

Key site elements that define St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church as a landmark include:
- its placement on grassed grounds on the south side of Highway 68 in Poplarfield
- the adjacent wooden bell tower, squared and in two tiers, with a prominent arched belfry

Key exterior elements that define the building's Boyko-region church architecture include:
- the complex, layered form, of log construction, based on three squared chambers, the centremost of which is widest and tallest
- the varied and tiered roofline, including a central squared section with a truncated pyramidal roof, octagonal wood drum and tin-sheathed dome bearing a cupola and an ornate Latin cross
- the tall rectangular windows, pointed arched at the front and flat-headed elsewhere, a pointed arched half-window over the double-door main entrance, etc.
- the basic materials and finishes, including cedar shingles, plain wood trim, stucco siding, etc.
- the details, including metal cupolas and Latin crosses atop the gables and main cupola, etc.

Key elements that define the church's interior heritage character and fine iconography include:
- the logical inner order of the narthex, the wide centre-aisle nave with transepts and the raised, squared sanctuary and sacristy, all with low flat board ceilings
- the high octagonal dome on squinches over the central cell, with its light-painted details lit by windows
- the wooden balcony accessed by a small quarter-turn staircase at the rear of the nave
- the colourful, ornate finishes and religious artwork, including the painted blue ceiling, painted narrow board walls, the mural over the sanctuary, iconic figures and rospys (folk motifs) on the dome, etc.
- the other functional and symbolic features, including the plain wood pews, flooring and nave doors, etc.