Saint Martin's at Billimun

Saint Martin's stands on a low rise in the open prairie at Billimun, Saskatchewan.

It is one of the grandest country churches I've seen in the southern end of the province.

A delicately designed wrought iron cross tops the spire...

...whereas the crucifix in the cemetery is relatively simple. 

This is where many of Billimun's pioneers are buried.

The church is an imposing structure in the isolated prairie landscape.

A look inside (from outside).  The practical and austere interior is in high contrast to the gold-finished Russian chandelier hanging from the ceiling. 

The church would easily seat two hundred people.

This stone cairn stands beside the trail to the church.  The plaque reads:

"St. Martin's (Billimun) Roman Catholic Church

"In 1909 representatives of a group of German-speaking colonists from the Russian Crimea selected the area 8 miles northwest of the present village of Mankota as their future home.  In 1910 the first contingent of settlers arrived, and by the mid 1920's over 80 families had relocated to the settlement from their homeland in Europe.

"The first church was erected in 1914 on land donated by Valentine Deringer.  A second and larger place of worship was built in 1926.  It was destroyed by fire the following year but, undaunted, the residents of the district constructed another church within a year.

"The present church was blessed by Archbishop Mathieu of Regina in July, 1927 and has become, over the years, the most prominent landmark in the district.  In March of 1983 St. Martin's ceased to function as an active church and was designated as a historic site later that same year."

Information courtesy of Saint Martin's and Canada's Historic Places.

Photographed on November 19, 2021.