Roumanian Church

Roumanian Orthodox Church is a Municipal Heritage Property located within the Rural Municipality of Beaver River No. 622 along Highway #55 approximately five kilometres west of the Town of Pierceland. The property features a one-storey log church clad in wood siding, which was constructed in 1934. The property also features a cemetery surrounded by a non-contributing hedgerow.

The heritage value of the Roumanian Orthodox Church lies in its association with the Romanian pioneers that settled in the area. During the 1930s, in the face of harsh drought conditions, many farmers from across southern Saskatchewan left their farms and took up new land in northern Saskatchewan which was less prone to drought. These immigrants included the Romanian families who constructed the Roumanian Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity in 1934. The church features a utilitarian design, as seen in its rectangular form, and subdued ornamentation which is evident in the bell tower and pointed windows of the nave. The interior is dominated by the inclusion of a wall which separates the altar from the nave, a common design element of Orthodox churches. While regular services have ended, the church and cemetery continue to stand as a monument to the early pioneers of the district.

Source:

Rural Municipality of Beaver River No. 622 Bylaw No. 27.

The heritage value of the Roumanian Orthodox Church resides in the following character-defining elements:

-those elements that reflect its association with the Romanian pioneers, including the property’s location on its original site, Budded Cross on the steeple, the tombstones and their arrangement into rows, and the division of the interior space with a wall separating the nave from the altar.