Expression of Ukrainian Identity in the Sacral Culture of the City of Winnipeg

Abstract

The expression of Ukrainian identity in the sacral culture of the city of Winnipeg has been studied. It is noted that religious identity became the basis for the preservation of Ukrainian national identity in the diaspora. With the support of the church, Ukrainian emigrants did not fall into despair, did not succumb to assimilation, instead persistently and creatively built a matrix of Ukrainian spiritual identity: professed dogmas of faith, participated in religious rites and rituals; studied their history, preserved the memory of outstanding Ukrainians, cultivated Ukrainian traditions and customs, literary and artistic heritage, traditional crafts, sacred culture, symbols; developed the educational environment, public, social activity. It is established that the church performed the function of social control in the lives of the laity and at the same time nurtured Ukrainian value markers of identity, first of all: a positive, respectful attitude towards the priest, family, co-religionists. It played an important role in uniting the Ukrainian community. It is emphasized that it is in the sacred culture that the mentality of the people, its worldview, world perception, features of the national character, ideals, aspirations, tastes, and understanding of the beautiful are most fully revealed. The form of sacred buildings not only symbolized the elements of the Christian faith, but also served the informative function of recognition and identity. It is noted that the uniqueness of Ukrainian sacred construction in Winnipeg is that the design, construction, interior and exterior decoration of churches was mainly carried out by highly professional Ukrainian emigrants, who, among other things, faced difficult tasks of implementing not only the generally accepted principle “the church is a symbol of faith, a work of art”, but also the consideration and embodiment of Ukrainian tradition in modern style buildings. In practice, when building churches, Ukrainian emigrants, on the one hand, resorted to simplifying the architectural forms of their idealization, on the other hand, their stylistic diversity is impressive. Churches were usually built according to the architecture of the Eastern Christian Church in Ukraine, by imitating and creatively interpreting two versions of the main European styles of church construction: Old Byzantine (X–XI centuries) and Ukrainian Baroque (XVII–XVIII centuries). Key trends of sacred architecture presented in Winnipeg are highlighted. Samples of architectural solutions, sacred buildings, key features and symbolic meaning are highlighted. Emphasis is placed on the participation of architects and artists from Ukraine in the implementation of the construction of the sacred space of Winnipeg. It is established that the problem is quite deep and involves further scientific understanding of the practical role of the sacred space as centers of cultivation of the national spirit, preservation of traditions, educational, linguistic environment and historical memory.