Philip Ruh
Encyclopedia
The Very Reverend Philip Ruh, O.M.I.
(born Philip Roux in Bickenholtz
, Alsace-Lorraine
[then part of the German Empire], 6 Aug 1883, died St. Boniface, Manitoba 24 Oct 1962) was Catholic priest and church architect
. Although he was educated as a Belgian Oblate (Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate
), he is remembered for his work in Canada with the Eastern Catholic Ukrainian Canadian
community building over forty Byzantine Rite
churches and several grotto
s in a unique architectural style that mixed Byzantine
, Latin, and modern Canadian influences. The style is often called prairie cathedral, which is a common nickname for several of his churches, even though only two of them are properly cathedrals.
Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate
The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate is a missionary religious congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded on January 25, 1816 by Saint Eugene de Mazenod, a French priest born in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France on August 1, 1782. The congregation was given recognition by Pope...
(born Philip Roux in Bickenholtz
Bickenholtz
Bickenholtz is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France....
, Alsace-Lorraine
Alsace-Lorraine
The Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine was a territory created by the German Empire in 1871 after it annexed most of Alsace and the Moselle region of Lorraine following its victory in the Franco-Prussian War. The Alsatian part lay in the Rhine Valley on the west bank of the Rhine River and east...
[then part of the German Empire], 6 Aug 1883, died St. Boniface, Manitoba 24 Oct 1962) was Catholic priest and church architect
Church architecture
Church architecture refers to the architecture of buildings of Christian churches. It has evolved over the two thousand years of the Christian religion, partly by innovation and partly by imitating other architectural styles as well as responding to changing beliefs, practices and local traditions...
. Although he was educated as a Belgian Oblate (Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate
Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate
The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate is a missionary religious congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded on January 25, 1816 by Saint Eugene de Mazenod, a French priest born in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France on August 1, 1782. The congregation was given recognition by Pope...
), he is remembered for his work in Canada with the Eastern Catholic Ukrainian Canadian
Ukrainian Canadian
A Ukrainian Canadian is a person of Ukrainian descent or origin who was born in or immigrated to Canada. In 2006, there were an estimated 1,209,085 persons residing in Canada of Ukrainian origin, making them Canada's ninth largest ethnic group; and giving Canada the world's third-largest...
community building over forty Byzantine Rite
Byzantine Rite
The Byzantine Rite, sometimes called the Rite of Constantinople or Constantinopolitan Rite is the liturgical rite used currently by all the Eastern Orthodox Churches, by the Greek Catholic Churches , and by the Protestant Ukrainian Lutheran Church...
churches and several grotto
Grotto
A grotto is any type of natural or artificial cave that is associated with modern, historic or prehistoric use by humans. When it is not an artificial garden feature, a grotto is often a small cave near water and often flooded or liable to flood at high tide...
s in a unique architectural style that mixed Byzantine
Byzantine architecture
Byzantine architecture is the architecture of the Byzantine Empire. The empire gradually emerged as a distinct artistic and cultural entity from what is today referred to as the Roman Empire after AD 330, when the Roman Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire east from Rome to...
, Latin, and modern Canadian influences. The style is often called prairie cathedral, which is a common nickname for several of his churches, even though only two of them are properly cathedrals.
Works
- Mountain Road Church of St. Mary's ManitobaManitobaManitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
1920s the largest wooden church in Western Canada (burnt 1966); - Church of the Blessed Mary Virgin, Portage la Prairie (built 1929 and demolished 1983);
- Holy Ascension WinnipegWinnipegWinnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
(1929); - St Basil the Great Regina, SaskatchewanRegina, SaskatchewanRegina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
(1928). - Church of the Immaculate Conception, Cook's Creek, ManitobaManitobaManitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
1930s.