Historic Sites of Manitoba: Old St. Michael’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Cemetery (RM of Stuartburn)

The St. Michael’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church, consecrated on 14 October 1899, was the first permanent Ukrainian church erected in Canada. Until the parish joined the Greek-Orthodox Church of Canada in 1922, it was served by a Russian Orthodox Mission. The church was built by immigrants from northern Bukowyna, now the western Ukraine, who settled the Gardenton area after 1896. The structure exemplified Bukowynian pioneer craftsmanship in architecture, interior decoration and religious furnishing. St. Michael’s served as a focal point of spiritual and cultural life in the first Ukrainian settlement in Manitoba and remains a symbol of the continuity of the Ukrainian identity in Canada. There is a cemetery beside the church building.

The church was used actively until 1935. In that year, another church by the same name was built in the nearby village of Gardenton. Since then, the historic old church has been used for services only two or three times a year. In 1970, due to its historical status, an annual pilgrimage service was added.

A plaque at this site in the Rural Municipality of Stuartburn was erected in 1986 by the Historic Sites Advisory Board of Manitoba. Another was erected in 1987 by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. The building was renovated in the early 2000s as part of the Manitoba Prairie Churches Project. The congregation received an MHS Centennial Organization Award in 2018.

Old St. Michael’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church (October 2015) Source: Gordon Goldsborough Old St. Michael’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church (July 2020) Source: George Penner Aerial view of the Old St. Michael’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church and its associated cemetery (October 2015) Source: Gordon Goldsborough Old St. Michael’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church (July 2020) Source: George Penner Old St. Michael’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church(July 2020) Source: George Penner Interior of the Old St. Michael’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church (June 2016) Source: George Penner Interior of the Old St. Michael’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church (June 2016) Source: George Penner Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.07168, W96.74110 denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: New St. Michael’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Gardenton, RM of Stuartburn)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Manitoba Plaques for Persons, Events and Sites of National Historic Significance

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Manitoba Prairie Churches Project / Manitoba Prairie Icons Project

Historic St. Michael’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church

Sources:

St. Michael’s Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church, NW 28-l-6E near Gardenton, RM of Stuartburn, Manitoba Historic Resources Branch.

We thank George Penner for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Tim Worth, Gordon Goldsborough, and S. Goldsborough.

Page revised: 4 February 2023

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