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Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church

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1917, Simon Gulka. 3rd St. NE at 5th Ave. NE
  • (Photograph by Steve C. Martens)
  • (Photograph by Steve C. Martens)
  • (Photograph by Steve C. Martens)

Belfield is the setting for a remarkable Ukrainian Orthodox church, a vestige of an important core community of Ukrainian immigrants in Dunn, Billings, and Stark counties. In 1928, under unexplained circumstances, a fire consumed the rural St. Demetrius church and rectory and Sts. Peter and Paul hall in the rural village of Ukraina (Billings County), exacerbating a long-standing rift between factions of the orthodox religious community. St. Demetrius was rebuilt in 1930, moved to Fairfield in 1949, and has since been demolished. In 1950, Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church was moved from the abandoned community of Ukraina to Belfield. The restored church’s cruciform plan, two-tiered dome over the crossing, fenestration, and interior ornamentation are distinct features of Ukrainian church traditions of the Ternopil region. The dome’s interior is covered in pressed tin, which is painted green on the lower portions and blue above. Five pointed gold stars are painted inside the dome, and a gold-trimmed coved molding with brocaded beading highlights the transition from green to blue. The interior is exceptionally rich in traditional icons and furnishings.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Steve C. Martens and Ronald H. L. M. Ramsay
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Data

Related Essays

“FLAME OF FAITH”: RELIGIOUS ARCHITECTURE

Citation

Steve C. Martens and Ronald H. L. M. Ramsay, "Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church", [Belfield, North Dakota], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/ND-01-SK11.

Print Source

Cover: Buildings of North Dakota

Buildings of North Dakota, Steve C. Martens and Ronald H. L. M. Ramsay. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2015, 172-172.

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