Святий Володимир

Welcome to...

...the wide open spaces at...

...Saint Wolodymyr Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Cemetery near Cappon, Alberta.

A weathered sign on the south side of the church.

On the north side of the church there is a cairn beside a large mound...

...where the remains of Saints Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Oyen, Alberta are now buried.

The view looking southwest.

The entire church building is wrapped in metal siding and covered with a metal roof.  Note the wrought iron Orthodox cross standing at the front corner of the church.  At one time it may have been mounted on the roof peak above the door.

The stunningly ornate cemetery marker stands well away from the church.

The most recent burial in the cemetery was 2004.

The church and cemetery occupy about four and one half acres...  

...with the church at the top of a low rise.

A look through the windows reveals simple plywood pews and an oil burning heater.

A communion table stands on a raised platform...nothing fancy here.

Looking south from beside the church.  Desolate and Isolated.

The road northwards.

Photographed on October 6, 2021.

Haig School

Located midway between Maleb and Foremost, Alberta.

I hadn't been through this part of southern Alberta for a few years so about a month ago I decided to rectify the situation and revisit.  In that short period of time dozens of wind turbines have popped up on the landscape.

This sign is unique amongst the hundreds I've seen in that it is one of only a handful that lists the names of the students that attended the school.  Thoughtful!

Photographed on November 28, 2021.

Jasman

A handmade sign commemorating the location of a pioneer school.  

Every once in a while I run across a school sign that really stands out from the others.  This is one of those... a modern folk art tour de force.

Photographed south of Juno, Alberta on November 28, 2021.

Who's Hoo

A great horned owl perched in a stand of aspens near Milo, Alberta.

Photographed on October 28, 2018.

Peter and Nellie

A large tiger lily decoration at the gravesite of Peter and Nellie Stanicki.

Photographed at Saints Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Cemetery in Gorlitz, Saskatchewan on July 27, 2021.

Над верхівками дерев височіють куполи Сходу

Domes of the east rise above the tree tops.

This beautiful church of Byzantine architecture is the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Elia in Wroxton, Saskatchewan.      

 

The cornerstone.  This is the third church of the congregation and was built in 1953.  The two earlier churches were built in 1902 and 1913.

The bell rang with a pure tone all through town and into the distance.  Chances are I woke up a few sleepyheads that early Wednesday morning.

Photographed on July 28, 2021.

Saint Elias near Wroxton

Welcome to Saint Elias Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Cemetery.

The church is in a grove of trees set back from the road.  

The headstones in the left foreground are atypical of those usually found in Ukrainian pioneer cemeteries.  Someone took the time and made the effort to build custom molds for these distinctive markers.

The bell tower is just above the hall entrance.

The outdoor altar stands just behind the church.  In the warmer months I'm sure many weddings, baptisms and funerals would have taken place here.  

The blue-framed window is the only exterior church decoration. 

The congregation formed in the early 1900's and built their first church of logs.  The church seen here was constructed in 1938.

Cool shade under the trees was welcome on what was quickly becoming a hot summer day. 

The sign is almost hidden by trees.

Photographed near Wroxton, Saskatchewan on July 28, 2021.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from Saint Margaret's Church.

Photographed in the Cypress Hills of Alberta on November 12, 2021.

Holiday Greetings from Veregin

Holiday Greetings!

A lifesize nativity scene in the Village of Veregin, Saskatchewan.

Photographed on January 7, 2020.

All Saints at Bellis

The gate is open...

...to All Saints Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

The church is just on the outskirts of town.

And adjacent to the church is a prominent bell tower beside a stand of aspens.

For a small country church is has a vast array of window shapes and sizes: tall and narrow below the dome, tiny and square on the outer transepts, pointed-arch on the transept angles, wide rectangles on the apse and a rounded arch above the front doors.  And best of all...they compliment each other. 

The original church marker is almost lost in the lilac bushes.

A picturesque setting.

Photographed at Bellis, Alberta on September 18, 2021.