St. Andrew's Roman Catholic Church, Hall & Cemetery

St. Andrew's Roman Catholic Church, Hall & Cemetery is a Municipal Heritage Property in the Rural Municipality of Martin No. 122. The property features a fieldstone church, wood-frame hall, cemetery and recreation facilites on landscape grounds, all situated on two legal subdivisions located approximately 11 Km south of the Town of Wapella.

The heritage value of the property lies in its use as a place of gathering by residents of the area. St. Andrew’s Church was built between 1899 and 1901 as a replacement for an earlier church built in the early 1880’s. The Scottish congregation constructed the elaborate fieldstone church with volunteer labour. The church is defined by its tall vertical proportions, particularly its tall steeple, which projects a stately image over the entire property. The cemetery was established 1901 and incorporated the cemetery from the original church. In 1939 the current community hall was constructed after the original was lost to fire. The building is recognized as a local landmark for its unique gambrel roof and is an important historical and current community gathering place.

The heritage value of the property also lies in its large grounds. The large size of the property signifies its importance in the community. The property is bordered by a shelter belt which sets it off from the surrounding countryside. Inside the shelterbelt the property features a variety of landscape features, including large open fields and small tree groves, as well as two old baseball backstops that were once used for recreation.

Source:

Rural Municipality of Martin No. 122 Bylaw 152/01.

The heritage value of the St. Andrew's Roman Catholic Church, Hall & Cemetery resides in the following character-defining elements:

-those elements that reflect the religious nature of the property, including the spire and bell on the Church;

-the Church's fieldstone construction and high vertical proportions;

-those elements that reflect the property’s use as a community centre, such as the large open fields and old backstops;

-the gambrel roof on the community hall;

-those landscape features that speak to the importance of the property to local people, such as the large treed areas, the shelter belt;

-those elements of the cemetery that relfect its importance to the community, including the headstones and enclosing fence.