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With its seven octagonal domes, columned portico, and brick pilasters, St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral forms an unmistakable silhouette in the inner city neighbourhood of McCauley. The genesis of the Byzantine-style church can be traced back to the 1902 arrival of the Ukrainian Basilian Fathers, who sought to establish clergy attuned to the Ukrainian culture, language, and observance. The growing parish quickly made the original St. Josaphat Church, built in 1904 under the leadership of Reverend Sozont Dydyk, obsolete, leading to the grandiose structure that fronts 97 Street NW today. 

St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral, image by Simon Law via Wikimedia Commons

It was no coincidence that proposals for a much larger place of worship aligned with the 950-year anniversary of the Christianization of Ukraine. Plans were drafted in 1938 with Philip Ruh — architect of over 30 Ukrainian Catholic churches across Canada — at the helm. The red-brick building with dark brick pilasters became his most significant Albertan work. Completion and dedication of the church would take place in 1947, yielding a structure based on the Ukrainian Baroque nine-part cruciform plan. Inside, notable muralist Professor Julian Bucmaniuk decorated the walls with traditional Byzantine iconography, utilizing parishioners as models.

St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral, image retrieved from Google Street View

When the Ukrainian Catholic Exarchate of Winnipeg was divided into three exarchates located in Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Toronto, St. Josaphat would be designated a cathedral, as it was the only Ukrainian Catholic church in the city. One of the finest examples of Ukrainian-Canadian church architecture, and designated a Provincial Historic Resource in 1983, the church stands as a testament to the birth and continued strength of the Ukrainian Catholic congregation in Edmonton.

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