Cossack - St. Paraskevia Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
12 km northwest of Smoky Lake
125 km northeast of Edmonton
Smoky Lake County (SW-4-61-17-W4)
The Parish was established in March 1912. Eighteen (18) individuals became members of the Parish. During this time, 4 acres of land was purchased for a church and cemetery. (1)
In 1913, a log chapel was built by Adam Holowaychuk for the parish.(2)
In 1930, the log chapel was replaced by the current structure. The new church was built by Harry Stocky.(3)
Oriented on the east-west axis, the church is designed on a central longitudinal cruciform plan following Byzantine traditions. The church has a single large central dome on an octagonal base. A large wrought iron cross sits on top of the dome. The church site is surrounded by flat arable land, with second or third-generation trees. One enters the narthex through an entrance on the southwest corner of the church. There is another entrance for special occasions on the west side of the Church. The narthex leads into the nave and a chancel (or presbytery) on a raised floor. Within the chancel there is the sanctuary that surrounds the altar. The sanctuary has an iconostasis. There is an additional entrance from the exterior to the church's interior off the northeast corner of the sanctuary. Currently, there is no information as to who built or painted the iconostasis. A local area-resident named Mr. Matiash is said to have painted the Church's interior. The dome is painted sky blue and adorned with stars. The walls have a green motif patterns.(4)
A wooden bell-tower stands northwest from the Church. The cemetery is located besides the Church.