St. Michael's Greek Orthodox Church (Bukowina)

St. Michael's Greek Orthodox Church (Bukowina) is a Municipal Heritage Property located approximately nine kilometres southeast of Wakaw in the Rural Municipality of Hoodoo No. 401. The designation applies to four parcels of land that features a wood-frame church, cemetery and a non-contributing community hall building.

The heritage value of St. Michael's Greek Orthodox Church (Bukowina) lies in its association with the establishment of the Greek Orthodox faith in this region of the province. Ukrainian immigrants began to settle this region in the late-nineteenth century and brought their Greek Orthodox faith to their new community. The settlers built St. Michael's in 1918 to represent the importance of their religious customs and beliefs as integral parts of their lives. The congregation's cemetery is also characteristic of the Greek Orthodox faith. Many of the crosses and headstones bearing the names of the deceased are engraved with characters and symbols of the traditional language.

The heritage value of the church also lies in its architecture and ornamentation. The onion-shaped metal dome at the centre of the building is characteristic of many other Ukrainian and Greek Orthodox churches throughout Saskatchewan. However, unique to this structure are four smaller domes surrounding the large central dome, and the metal-clad spire above the main entrance. The interior of the building is ornately decorated with a number of religious paintings on the walls and an adorned icon screen, characteristic of all Greek Orthodox churches of this era.

Source:

Rural Municipality of Hoodoo No. 401 Bylaw No. 2, 2004.

The heritage value of St. Michael's Greek Orthodox Church (Bukowina) resides in the following character-defining elements:

-those architectural elements such as the roofscape of five onion-shaped domes and taller metal-clad spire above the main entrance;

-elements of the cemetery symbolic of Ukrainian settlers to the region such as the headstones engraved in their native language;

-interior elements of the church that speak to the Greek Orthodox faith, including the religious paintings, icon screen and crucifix;

-the ornately decorated chandeliers.