Leeshore Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church
30 km. north of Leeshore or 16 km. south of Waskatenau
Leeshore County (SE-12-58-20-W4)
In 1914, individuals from the Leeshore district gathered together to form a parish. Mr. Stefan Senyshyn agreed to donate 4 acres of land for the church and cemetery.
In 1916, the land for the church and cemetery were blessed. Work began in the construction of the present Church in 1918. In 1924, Phillip Pawliuk (master builder) completed the inside construction. In 1928, Peter (Petro) Lipinski completed painting all the icons and walls. At the same time, the exterior walls and the dome were done.(1)
Oriented on the east-west axis, the church is designed on a central longitudinal cruciform plan following Byzantine traditions. The church has one dome. The site is surrounded by flat arable land, second or third-generation trees. Also, the site is located about 1 kilometer from the North Sasakatchewan River.
One enters the narthex through a small vestibule under the choir loft. The narthex leads into the nave with north and south transepts and a chancel on a raised floor. Each transept has its individual entrances from the exterior. Within the chancel there is the sanctuary that surrounds the altar. In addition, there are two identical sacristies located north and south of the crossing with individual entrances from the exterior. There is no iconostasis.
A large drum fixture rises from the intersection of the roofs over the nave. The structure then supports a high octagonal (onion-shaped) dome. A large wrought iron cross sits on top of the dome.
The interior is heavily decorated with a variety of stenciling and icons. As mentioned, Peter (Petro) Lipinski did all the artistic paintings and decorations for the Church.
A church bell was donated in 1930. In 1938, a stone bell tower was erected.(2)