St. Josaphat Cathedral

St. Josaphat Cathedral is a Ukrainian Catholic cathedral in McCauley, Edmonton, Alberta, one of the best examples of Byzantine Rite church architecture in Canada. It is the seat of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Edmonton, and has been a cathedral (the seat of a bishop) since 1948. Occupying 18 city lots in the McCauley neighbourhood, the cathedral has been recognized for its heritage significance and "is distinguished by it seven domes, columned entry portico, and red brick veneer embellished with darker brick pilasters and inlaid cream coloured crosses. The parish was established by the Basilian Fathers in 1902, at first without a permanent home. A small log church was built in 1904 under the leadership of the Reverend Sozont Dydyk. The current building was designed in 1938 by the Reverend Philip Ruh, an Oblate missionary from Belgium who intensively studied the Byzantine Rite building designs of Ukraine so that the building would be culturally acceptable to the parishioners. His design mixes elements of Ukrainian Baroque with Western European influences, to produce a unique Canadian style dubbed "Prairie Cathedral". If not for the height restrictions at the time of construction because of the Edmonton City Centre Airport (which also affected the Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral of St. John the Baptist), an overall more properly proportioned church building would be at least 4-5m taller. Nevertheless, this cathedral is considered to be "the most elaborate Ukrainian Church in Alberta" and "one of the finest examples of Ukrainian-Canadian church architecture". Ruh also designed St. George Cathedral in Saskatoon and the Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception in Cooks Creek (Springfield), Manitoba, which was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1996.

St. Josaphat Cathedral is a Ukrainian Catholic cathedral in McCauley, Edmonton, Alberta, one of the best examples of Byzantine Rite church architecture in Canada. It is the seat of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Edmonton, and has been a cathedral (the seat of a bishop) since 1948. Occupying 18 city lots in the McCauley neighbourhood, the cathedral has been recognized for its heritage significance and "is distinguished by it seven domes, columned entry portico, and red brick veneer embellished with darker brick pilasters and inlaid cream coloured crosses. The parish was established by the Basilian Fathers in 1902, at first without a permanent home. A small log church was built in 1904 under the leadership of the Reverend Sozont Dydyk. The current building was designed in 1938 by the Reverend Philip Ruh, an Oblate missionary from Belgium who intensively studied the Byzantine Rite building designs of Ukraine so that the building would be culturally acceptable to the parishioners. His design mixes elements of Ukrainian Baroque with Western European influences, to produce a unique Canadian style dubbed "Prairie Cathedral". If not for the height restrictions at the time of construction because of the Edmonton City Centre Airport (which also affected the Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral of St. John the Baptist), an overall more properly proportioned church building would be at least 4-5m taller. Nevertheless, this cathedral is considered to be "the most elaborate Ukrainian Church in Alberta" and "one of the finest examples of Ukrainian-Canadian church architecture". Ruh also designed St. George Cathedral in Saskatoon and the Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception in Cooks Creek (Springfield), Manitoba, which was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1996.