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Discover the historic site of Cooks Creek, Manitoba, Canada

The Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception, constructed in stages beginning in 1930 and consecrated in 1952, is a multi-storey domed structure situated on Road 212 in the village of Cooks Creek in a complex that includes the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes and a cemetery. The Provincial designation applies to the church and its large lot.

HERITAGE VALUE

The Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception holds important connections to a significant era in Ukrainian church construction in Manitoba, as well as to its noted priest-architect, Father Philip Ruh, O.M.I one of the largest Ukrainian Catholic Churches in Western Manitoba and one of the impressive "Prairie Cathedral-style" churches in Manitoba, The building exhibits a formal approach to design that follows the dynamic forms and colours of the Ukrainian Baroque churches coupled with wealth of other architechtural motifs and elements - all carried out in concrete, stucco and paint. The vernacular is innovatively fused with Ukrainian motifs, while the basic materials are enlivened with faux finishes in emulation of richness of grand european churches. The structure was almost entirely hand-built by volunteers (including Fr. Ruh) and local artisans painted the elaborate interior. Father Ruh, who is buried in the nearby church cemetery, is credited with designing moret han 30 churches from Alberta to Ontario, each a distinct interpretation of his "Prairie cathedral" aesthetic.

Source: Manitoba Heritage Council Minutes, June 22, 1984

CHARACTER-DEFINING ELEMENTS

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception Include:

The extensive well groomed grounds on Road 212 in Cooks Creek, With Clusters of mature trees, grassed expanses and formal paved walkways

-The church inclusion in an ecclesiastical complex that also contains a free-standing bell tower, the Grotto of Our lady of Lourdes and the cemetery.

Source: Canada's Historic Places