Secrets of the Southwest 2013 Page 43 Church a heritage site


St. Peter and Paul Church, parish of Blumenfeld, stands majestically against the prairie sky. To find the site, turn east at the Blumenfeld sign 16 km (10 miles) south of Leader on Highway 21, and proceed another 6.4 km (four miles). The church was built in 1915 and is a tribute to the early German settlers who came from Romania, Krasna, Bessarabia, and to others who came from the USA. The church and grotto were designated as a heritage site by the province of Saskatchewan in 1983. Along with the church, the site includes a clapboard prayer house, cemetery, memorial shrine, magnificent fieldstone shrine to Our Lady of Sorrows, and an open-air Stations of the Cross. Surrounding the church is a grassy four hectare area enclosed in a hedgerow. This Roman Catholic church has not been used for regular services since 1964, but is still used for special occasions such as weddings, funerals, and community gatherings. Hundreds of people make an annual pilgrimage to Blumenfeld Church in June to pay homage. Local volun- teers take care of the site and give tours of the church from 2-4 pm on Sundays in July and August. (see ad) Architectural features of note are the cruciform-plan of nave and polygonal apse, the vestry and sacristy opening from a raised chancel, the centrally positioned bell tower with belfry, spire and cross, the rounded stained-glass arch windows, elaborately detailed altars, confessional, and stat- ues. The church has wood flooring, walls, and columns and ceiling beams with decorative brackets. Its comparatively large scale and interior decorations set it apart from more modest churches in rural Saskatchewan.


Heritage features are found in the prayer house with its round-topped doorway, shake shingles, and cross. The grotto is made of fieldstone hauled from miles away by teams of horses in the 1930s. The cemetery’s layout and grave mark- ers, in particular the iron cross markers, show the connection to the communi- ty’s pioneers. The crosses are exam- ples of traditional folk art brought by the German- speaking people who came from Russia.


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