The Igloo Church

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I finally got a chance to tour Our Lady of Victory church, better known throughout the western Arctic as the "Igloo Church." It is said to be the most photographed building in Inuvik. Which is not surprising considering it is a large circular structure surmounted by a byzantine dome, crowned by a cupola topped by a cross in a town of squat rectangular buildings. It is funny that this building seemed to sit more comfortably and congruously in the arctic than the shoebox-shaped house around town.

The tour was given by Father Mathew a Nigerian Priest who has been in Inuvik for 5 years. He did a very great job telling us of the history of the church and the structure is not the only intriguing part. The church was designed by a local Catholic missionary, Brother Maurice Larocque, and was largely built by volunteers. In 1958 construction began and took two years to complete. The permafrost was and is a large concern for all buiders in the arctic because a structure can easily shift and sink if the it melts. Brother Larocque came up with a unique solution for the igloo church. It would have a double shell and would sit on a gravel-filled, saucerlike structure that would be set into the ground. The design, Brother Larocque correctly deduced, would prevent heat from the building from transferring to the permafrost. This also makes the building very cool during the summer and during the winter, which makes heatin expensive. Much of the wood used in the construction was transported by boat from Fort Smith, N.W.T. And, reflecting a spirit of community cooperation and involvement, the structure incorporates recycled local materials ranging from old hockey sticks (which i posted a photo of) to discarded metal sheeting.

Father Mathew let me climb a narrow stairway to the trapdoor onto the roof and I got a chance to get some unique photos of the town😊 After the tour Sean and I stuck around to chat with the father and he ended up inviting us to dinner at his place next week. Very nice man! But ill bet he misses his family, who are all still in Nigeria😞

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Comments

[anonymous]

Wow...what a gorgeous and unique building. I love how bright it looks inside too.

[Christianne]

This was my uncle
He was a proud man his hole life I am honoured to see that the church is still there and a monument of the town Christianne Larocque