Description of Historic Place

The Bonne Madonne Church is a Municipal Heritage Property located in the Rural Municipality of Hoodoo approximately 30 kilometres northeast of the Town of Wakaw. The property features a wood-frame church, rectory and landscaped grounds situated on 16 hectares of land.

Heritage Value

The heritage significance of the Bonne Madonne Church lies in its connection to the establishment of a French-Catholic settlement in the district. The area was settled by French immigrants from the provinces of Franche-Comté and Dauphiné under the leadership of Fathers Laurent Voisin and Jean Garnier in 1902. The priests, with no church or residence to support French settlement in the area, used an abandoned Métis chapel until 1910 when a log-frame church was built on the present site. A second, wood-frame church, was built shortly afterward to accommodate the growing parish; however, it was destroyed by fire in 1918. The present church, built in 1919, remains on the original site with the simple, four-square rectory built the following year. With a church, rectory and growing parish, Bonne Madonne eventually became a mission, which operated until 1967.

The Bonne Madonne Church is also valued for its architecture, which shows a Gothic Revival influence. The church is typical of many other Catholic churches built during the same period. It contains a steep gable roof, bell tower, and pointed-arch windows. What sets this church apart form others is the interior. The dark wood finish, vaulted ceiling, and use of individual chairs (instead of pews) in the nave give the Bonne Madonne church a unique identity, since many naves in rural churches contained rows of pews.

Source:

Rural Municipality of Hoodoo No. 401 Bylaw 3, 2004.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of The Bonne Madonne Church resides in the following character-defining elements:
-those elements that connect the church to the establishment of French-Catholic culture in the Bonneau region, such as the building’s original location, unique interior furnishings such as the use of individual chairs (instead of pews), vaulted ceiling and dark wood finish;
-those architectural elements that speak to the Gothic Revival style, such as the steep gable roof, bell tower, pointed-arch windows, vaulted ceilings and rectangular shape;
- the rectory’s architectural elements that reflect the four-square style, such as the open verandah across the entire lower level, asymmetrical window placement, second floor doorway and dormer that opens above the verandah.