The oldest log constructed temple still standing in Saskatchewan! This church is still standing strong and very unique. Althought it wasn’t used long, it is still intact inside and remains a bit of a time capsule from the settlers in the area.
The community was organized in 1900. This “little temple” as they call it is was constructed of logs in 1902-1903. Local oral history says there were 5 temples constructed for prayer, this is one of the five. A bell tower made of logs and a cemetery are also on the site. Both the temple and the bell tower have a stone foundation with walls built from logs. The temple was finished with mud and the inside was plastered and painted.
The temple was the first of the parish. However, it was soon discovered that the water table was high and this brought issues to the site, especially with the cemetery. The last marriage to take place at the temple was in 1924. The community moved from the original site to another temple that was nearby, a part of the same parish. The new temple was much larger than this one but they used the same construction method with logs.
The cemetery has approximately 15 graves and the site is maintained. The temple and bell tower are still standing but they are starting to fall apart. The structure is stable but not usable. The building is the oldest log-constructed orthodox church remaining in Saskatchewan.
Photographs are from trips in 2008 and 2013.
