Description of Historic Place

The St. Mary’s Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church is a Municipal Heritage Property located approximately two kilometres southeast of the community of Wakaw in the Rural Municipality of Hoodoo. The designation applies to an approximately two hectare parcel of land that features a wood-frame orthodox church, a freestanding belfry and cemetery.

Heritage Value

St. Mary’s Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church is valued for its association with the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox settlers who helped found the Wakaw district. The church was built in 1913 through donated labour and finances from some of Wakaw’s original settlers. Ukrainian Orthodox followers used the church until it became too small for the growing congregation. A new, larger Ukrainian Greek Orthodox church was built in Wakaw in 1948.

The heritage significance of this site also resides in the church’s ecclesiastical architecture. The small, rectangular wood-frame structure resembles many of the rural churches built during this same period. What makes the St. Mary’s Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church distnictive is the presence of three onion-shaped domes straddling the roof. The domes and three-bar crosses on each of them represent the church’s affiliation with the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox faith.

Source:

Rural Municipality of Hoodoo No. 401 Bylaw 5, 2004.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the St. Mary’s Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church resides in the following character-defining elements:
-those elements associated with the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox settlers, such as the cemetery and the orientation of the church and belfry on their original sites;
-those elements that reflect Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church architecture, such as the three onion-shaped domes on top of the roof, three-bar crosses upon each dome on the gable roof, pointed-arch windows and the detached belfry.