Country Roads of Alberta by Liz Bryan

Author:Liz Bryan [Bryan, Liz]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-926613-02-4
Publisher: Heritage House
Published: 2010-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

Church of the Nativity, near Andrew.

Between the churches, wonderful fields of green and gold.

Several kilometres north up Highway 857, standing proud on a high bluff, is the Russo-Orthodox Church of Sts. Peter and Paul in a place the settlers called “wild bush” or dickiebush; hence the church is also known simply as Dickiebush. Built between 1909 and 1914 of logs (later covered by siding), it is one of the region’s earliest cruciform churches and one of the first with an open dome. Inside, the “sky” of the dome extends 20 metres above the floor, creating a wonderful sense of space. Amazingly, this intricate church was built by a local carpenter who could neither read nor write but who carried with him an image of churches he had seen in the old country. It is architecturally interesting for its semicircular rather than rectangular wings, a treatment that emphasizes the building’s height. Painted a soft yellow, the church is an outstanding landmark, well worth the steep drive up the hill to view it at close quarters.

There are so many churches, so many pioneer barns and homesteads in this area, that it is difficult to know where to end this journey. But here’s a suggestion: Drive 10 kilometres north of the Dickiebush church along Secondary Highway 857 to Highway 28 just south of the settlement of Bellis (whose station and grain elevator were moved to the Ukrainian Heritage Village). West about 24 kilometres along Highway 28 is the town of Smoky Lake and Holy Trinity Russo-Orthodox Church, another fine example of 1920s onion-dome construction. Why end the tour here? Adjacent is the largest Ukrainian graveyard in the area—rows and rows of cemetery crosses, some of them ornate, inscribed in Cyrillic script and emblazoned with flowers. Somehow, as the sun goes down, graveyards seem a fitting way to close the day, encouraging reflection on such things as faith and mortality.

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