St. Eugene Church restored

Restoration of the St. Eugene Church returns a community cornerstone to full function

The restored St. Eugene Church is an important part of the Aqam Community and its history. — Marie Milner photo

Restoration of the ʔaq̓am Community’s St. Eugene Church, a historic landmark near Cranbrook, B.C., was completed on August 17, 2016. The church was built in 1897 on the newly established St. Eugene Mission and held its first service on Palm Sunday in 1898. Construction was financed by $12,000 donated by a local First Nations miner and an Oblate priest from the sale of an ore deposit that was discovered near Moyie.

After more than a century of use, the church became structurally unstable, and in 2004 the beautiful, time-worn Victorian building was closed to public use; it remained closed for seven years. Phase One of the restoration, completed in 2011, included raising and underpinning the building and replacing the foundation. Great pains were taken to preserve the church’s priceless, original Italian stained-glass windows. This expensive initial phase emptied the restoration fund coffers.

Further much-needed work was put on hold for five years, until additional funds were acquired. “The roof and exterior had not been touched since 1982, so it was definitely in need of a refresher,” said Michelle Shortridge, ʔaq̓am Community director of operations.

Thanks to fundraising efforts in the community and generous financial support obtained from Columbia Basin Trust, Western Economic Diversification, Teck, St. Eugene Church Restoration Society and the Kootenay Columbia Cultural Alliance, Phase Two was undertaken in 2016. It included structural repair of the steeple, roof replacement and extensive refurbishment of the exterior.

Phase Two of the church restoration was carried out by MDG Contracting Services Inc. of Sparwood, B.C. Construction manager Ken Eng said, “The structural integrity of the church steeple was reviewed, designed and inspected by a structural engineer to ensure the building was able to handle the required stress loads.”

The time-worn St. Eugene Church was closed to public use for seven years. Restoration was completed in August 2016. — Photo courtesy ?aq?am Community

The St. Eugene Church is  one of the few Victorian-era wooden churches still in existence in British Columbia. Its architectural features include a soaring steeple, corner buttresses and stained glass windows imported from Italy. The interior of the church features locally crafted tongue-and-groove construction, accomplished with the assistance of local Band members, as well as priceless artwork and statues.

A statement of the church’s significance, written by community elders in 2008, states, in part:

• The church is one of the few remaining buildings of Kamaquwuʼki and therefore is a strong connection for the band members of today to their ancestors.
• The church represents the spiritual evolution of the community and it is a symbol of the imposition of the European culture on to the area.
• The church is part of the legacy of the community and it continues to be valued as a place for the celebration and honouring of all the significant events of life.

Today this elegant historical structure is used for weddings, baptisms, funerals and Easter and Christmas masses. For viewing and information on rentals, call Michelle Shortridge at 250-426-5717 ext. 3523.