Alberta Register of Historic Places

St. Boniface Roman Catholic Church and Rectory

Friedenstahl, Near

Other Names:

St. Boniface Church - Friedenstahl

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place
St. Boniface Roman Catholic Church and Rectory is a cultural landscape consisting of a large church with classical ornamentation and a prominent central tower and belfry, a two-storey, stucco-clad rectory and a small shrine. An associated cemetery lies just to the east of the structures. The St. Boniface site is situated on a 6.27 hectare (15.5 acre) lot in the historic community of Friedenstal at the intersection of Township Road 814 and Range Road 31. It is approximately four kilometres southeast of the Town of Fairview in the Municipal District of Fairview No. 136.

Heritage Value
The heritage value of the St. Boniface Roman Catholic Church and Rectory at Friedenstal lies in its significance as an excellent example of a Roman Catholic cultural landscape and for its ecclesiastical architecture.

The community of Friedenstal was established by German Roman Catholics in the 1910s. The community’s religious needs were provided by German-speaking priests of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, a French Roman Catholic order, who founded the St. Boniface parish. The St. Boniface site was once much larger and included a school and a convent. However, the arrangement of the remaining structures represents an ecclesiastical landscape, one that was intentionally designed to convey a sense of the overarching supremacy of the Roman Catholic Church in the area. The church, opulent in design if not in materials, dominates the site and is visible from a great distance on the relatively flat landscape. An important, but clearly subordinate two-storey, stucco-clad rectory is located slightly to the south and a small wooden shrine, stylistically similar to the church, can be found in the trees to the north. The entire site is framed and protected by substantial groves of mature trees. Although each structure is of differing scales and levels of ornamentation, together, these elements, including an associated cemetery to the east, comprise a compact and cohesive Roman Catholic cultural landscape and represent the remaining structures of what was once a large religious community in northwestern Alberta.

Built, and possibly designed by Oblate Brother Joseph Eiseman in 1920-21, St. Boniface is a typical Roman Catholic church, consisting of a rectangular building on an east-west axis with a front facing gable roof. A number of design and architectural elements speak to its French-Canadian Roman Catholic style, notably the pattern of Roman-arched windows and the arrangement of the front elevation; its central tower with open belfry, spire and cross; and the small, pyramid-topped pinnacles at the corners. The church is similar to other Oblate-built churches, notably St. Joachim in Edmonton and St. Jean-Baptiste in Morinville, although its simpler scale and use of less refined construction materials, reflects its rural and northern location. Despite its simplicity, the church offers distinctive, Classical-inspired ornamentation, typical of Roman Catholic churches, such as fanlight windows, finials, simulated modillions and dentils, trefoil tracery and a small, bell cote-like feature at the rear gable peak.

The interior of the church is also arranged in traditional Roman Catholic style, with the altar to the east and the gallery, confessional and narthex to the west. The barrel-vaulted central portion of the ceiling and the rows of columns give the impression of aisles. The church does not have an apse, but the chancel is clearly defined by the arrangement of the east walls and the presence of steps and altar rails. Focus rests on the altar, which is painted white with gold highlights and surmounted by a large crucifix in a fanlight pattern. Other ornamentation is generally restrained while still retaining a sense of opulence common in Roman Catholic churches, notable is the ornate gold chandelier with chains and crosses hanging over the centre of the nave.

The rectory is a simple, two-storey, wood-frame residence in the American Foursquare style, with an enclosed front porch and kitchen at the rear. Distinctly more modest in design and ornamentation than the church, the rectory does feature a high level of workmanship, fitting for a structure intended to provide a basic, but comfortable home for the parish priests.

Source: Alberta Culture and Tourism, Historic Resources Management Branch (File: DES 0639)

Character-Defining Elements
Key elements that define the heritage value of the St. Boniface Roman Catholic Church and Rectory at Friedenstal include such elements as its:

Landscape
- arrangement of the structures (church, rectory, garage and shrine) and their relation to each other, with the church dominating the other buildings;
- height and vertical orientation of the church tower and spire, making it highly visible on the flat prairie landscape;
- groves of mature trees defining the boundaries of the site;
- small, wooden shrine located in the wooded area immediately north of the church;
- association with the cemetery located to the east of the structures.

Church Exterior
- traditional east-west orientation, with the entrance on the west-facing side;
- wooden drop siding with flush corner boards, drip cap, skirt board and base trim;
- medium-pitched gable roof with boxed cornices and return eaves;
- square tower with open belfry, splayed-foot spire and French cross;
- symmetrical arrangement of the west-facing elevation with central tower, and corner pinnacles with Fleur-de-lis finials;
- Classical-inspired ornamentation, such as the fanlight window over the front entry, simulated dentils and modillions throughout and the wooden frieze at the eaves, belfry, spire and pinnacle points;
- fenestration pattern of Roman-arched openings on the front and side elevations;
- extant original doors and windows frames and sashes, some with coloured glazing;
- fanned pattern in the east gable wall, and a wooden pendant hanging from the east gable fascia;
- decorative bell cote-like structure with trefoil arches and a tapering polygonal top at the eastern end of the roof;
- brick chimney protruding from the northern slope of the roof.

Church Interior
- traditional floor plan consisting of a narthex, nave, chancel, and sanctuary flanked by sacristies;
- arrangement of side walls, steps and elaborate altar rails separating the chancel and sanctuary from the nave;
- white-painted altar with gold highlights located against the eastern wall;
- balcony/gallery with a semicircular arched cove at the western side of the nave;
- rows of five square, fluted columns simulating aisles on each side of the nave;
- central, semi-circular vault ceiling flanked by a flat ceiling over the sides;
- V-joint, tongue-and-groove boards on the interior walls and ceiling;
- extant historic wood work, including panel doors, wood strip floor, wainscoting, staircase, newel posts and balustrades, window and door frames, “sunburst” pattern over the altar, built-in cabinetry in the south sacristy and other decorative trim;
- extant historic light fixtures, notably the wall lamps and the ornate gold-painted chandelier;
- confessional in the south west corner of the nave;
- all other extant original furnishings, such as the large crucifix over the altar, statuary throughout, side altars, wooden pews, prayer desk, candle holders and stands, etc.

Rectory
- two-storey, structure with a front facing low-pitched gable roof and overall symmetrical design and fenestration pattern;
- overall lack of ornamentation and decoration;
- hipped-roof front verandah;
- stucco-clad exterior walls and lath and plaster interior walls and ceilings;
- extant historic wood work, such as windows, sashes, storm windows, frames, doors, tongue-and-groove panelling, wainscoting, baseboards, staircase, wood strip floor and built in cabinetry, all exhibiting a high level of workmanship;
- original brass grill heating duct covers.

Location

Street Address:	Friedenstahl, Near
Community:	Friedenstahl, Near
Boundaries:	Portion of SW 25-81-3-W6
Contributing Resources:	Collection: Church, rectory, garage, landscape elements

ATS Legal Description:

Mer	Rge	Twp	Sec	LSD
6	3	81	25

PBL Legal Description (Cadastral Reference):

Plan	Block	Lot	Parcel

Latitude/Longitude:

Latitude	Longitude	CDT	Datum Type
56.045335	-118.336033		NAD 83

UTM Reference:

Northing	Easting	Zone	CDT	Datum Type
416774	6211930

Recognition

Recognition Authority:	Province of Alberta
Designation Status:	Provincial Historic Resource
Date of Designation:	2016/03/08

Historical Information

Built:	1921 to 1921
Period of Significance:	1920 to 1967
Theme(s):	Building Social and Community Life : Religious Institutions
Historic Function(s):	Religion, Ritual and Funeral : Religious Facility or Place of Worship
Current Function(s):	Religion, Ritual and Funeral : Religious Facility or Place of Worship
Architect:
Builder:
Context:

Additional Information

Object Number:	4665-1381
Designation File:	DES 0639
Related Listing(s):
Heritage Survey File:
Website Link:
Data Source:	Alberta Culture and Tourism, Historic Resources Management Branch, Old St. Stephen's College, 8820 - 112 Street, Edmonton, AB T6G 2P8 (File: Des 0639)