Landmark Building
BASILIAN MONASTERY
Sawchuk Street, north of 50 Street , Mundare
Designed By: Phillip Ruh
Built in 1922
'); "Basilian Monastery")
The first Ukrainian Catholic priests of the Order of St. Basil the Great arrived in the settlement area in 1902 to undertake missionary activity. They began to hold services in private homes in the western and southern portions of the region, where Ukrainian Catholic immigrants predominated. By 1914, thirty-three Ukrainian Catholic churches had been built in addition to two day schools and a convent in Mundare.
Constructed in 1922, this is the oldest Basilian monastery in Canada. It is actually the successor to the Basilian mission station that was established three miles east of
Mundare soon after the first members of the Order had arrived. It was designed by
Reverend Phillip Ruh, one of the best-known Ukrainian Canadian church architects of his time. It is a two-storey brick structure that includes quarters for members of the Order, a small chapel, a study, and other facilities. The exterior is sombre and unassuming, with no outward features, except for two statues, one of which is a likeness of St. Basil the Great, to indicate that it is a religious edifice of any sort. It is located on grounds situated across from both Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church and the first Basilian chapel in the area, which was recently relocated to the townsite in order to be converted into a museum. East of Sts. Peter and Paul Church is the Mundare Ukrainian Museum, which is well worth visiting. Immediately north of the monastery stands the grotto known as the "Golgotha of Mundare."
The Landmark Buildings and Places Database draws on the series of walking and/or driving tour booklets produced by Alberta Culture (now Alberta Culture and Community Spirit). The Heritage Community Foundation gratefully acknowledges the support of the Ministry through permission to reprint these materials online. Extracted from Historical Driving Tour: Ukrainian Churches in East Central Alberta. Alberta Culture and Multiculturalism, n.d., with permission from Alberta Culture and Community Spirit. Visit the Alberta Culture and Community Spirit for more information.