St. Josaphat Cathedral is a

Ukrainian Catholic Ukrainian Catholic Church may refer to: * Latin Church in Ukraine * Greek Catholic Churches (Eastern Catholic communities of the Byzantine Rite, centered in Ukraine, in communion with the Church of Rome) ** Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church **Ukrai ...

cathedral in McCauley, Edmonton, Alberta, one of the best examples of Byzantine Rite church architecture in Canada. It is the seat of the

Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Edmonton The Eparchy of Edmonton is a Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church ecclesiastical territory or eparchy of the Catholic Church that governs parishes in the Canadian province of Alberta. It uses the Byzantine Rite liturgy in the Ukrainian language and E ...

, and has been a cathedral (the seat of a bishop) since 1948. Occupying 18 city lots in the McCauley neighbourhood, the cathedral has been recognized for its heritage significance and "is distinguished by it seven

domes A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...

ed entry

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...

, and

red brick A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...

veneer Veneer may refer to: Materials * Veneer (dentistry), a cosmetic treatment for teeth * Masonry veneer, a thin facing layer of brick * Stone veneer, a thin facing layer of stone * Wood veneer, a thin facing layer of wood Arts and entertainment * ' ...

embellished In sewing and crafts, an embellishment is anything that adds design interest to the piece. Examples in sewing and craft * appliqué can be made by sewing machine of decorative techniques and or * embroidery, done either by machine or by hand * ...

with darker brick

pilasters In classical architecture, a pilaster is an architectural element used to give the appearance of a supporting column and to articulate an extent of wall, with only an ornamental function. It consists of a flat surface raised from the main wall ...

and

inlaid Inlay covers a range of techniques in sculpture and the decorative arts for inserting pieces of contrasting, often colored materials into depressions in a base object to form Ornament (art), ornament or pictures that normally are flush with th ...

cream coloured crosses.

History

The parish was established by the Order of Saint Basil the Great in 1902, at first without a permanent home. A small log church was built in 1904 under the leadership of the Reverend Sozont Dydyk.

Architecture

The current building was designed in 1938 by the Reverend

Philip Ruh Philip Ruh, O.M.I. (born Philip Roux; ; 6 August 1883 – 24 October 1962) was Catholic priest and church architect. Although he was educated as a Belgian Oblate (Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate), he is remembered for his work in Canada ...

, an

Oblate In Christianity (especially in the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican and Methodist traditions), an oblate is a person who is specifically dedicated to God or to God's service. Oblates are individuals, either laypersons or clergy, normally livi ...

missionary from Belgium who intensively studied the Byzantine Rite building designs of Ukraine so that the building would be culturally acceptable to the parishioners. His design mixes elements of Ukrainian Baroque with Western European influences, to produce a uniquely Canadian style dubbed "Prairie Cathedral". If not for the height restrictions at the time of construction because of the Edmonton City Centre Airport (which also affected the Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral of St. John the Baptist), an overall more properly proportioned church building would be at least 4-5m taller. Nevertheless, this cathedral is considered to be "the most elaborate Ukrainian Church in Alberta" and "one of the finest examples of Ukrainian-Canadian church architecture". Ruh also designed St. George Cathedral in Saskatoon and the Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception in Cooks Creek (

Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...

), Manitoba, which was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1996. Construction lasted from 1939 to 1947. The building became a cathedral when Edmonton was selected as the seat of a new exarchate headed by a bishop. The first bishop was the Most Reverend Neil N. Savaryn, appointed "Bishop Ordinary for the Apostolic Exarchate of Edmonton serving Alberta and British Columbia". Starting in 1951 the process of painting the interior murals, frescos, and icons began under the leadership of Professor

Julian Bucmaniuk Julian may refer to: People * Julian (emperor) (331–363), Roman emperor from 361 to 363 * Julian (Rome), referring to the Roman gens Julia, with imperial dynasty offshoots * Saint Julian (disambiguation), several Christian saints * Julian (giv ...

, a well-known muralist. In 1968 the

iconostasis In Eastern Christianity, an iconostasis ( gr, εἰκονοστάσιον) is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a Church (building), church. ''Iconostasis'' also refers to a portable icon stand t ...

was built. Josaphat was designated a Provincial Historic Resource by the province of Alberta in 1983.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Josaphat Cathedral Churches in Edmonton Ukrainian Catholic cathedrals in Canada Churches completed in 1947 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Canada Church buildings with domes Provincial Historic Resources in Edmonton Ukrainian-Canadian culture in Alberta Catholic cathedrals in Alberta

History

Architecture

References

Further reading

External links