Saint Petka Serbian Orthodox Church (Lakeshore, Ontario)
Saint Petka Serbian Orthodox Church (Serbian Cyrillic: Црква Свете Петке) is located at 1501 Lakeshore Road 203 in Lakeshore, Ontario, Canada.[1] It is part of the Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Canada under the omophorion of Metropolitan Bishop Mitrofan (Kodić).
| Saint Petka Serbian Orthodox Church | |
|---|---|
 Saint Petka Church, pictured in 2024 | |
 | |
| Location | 1501 Lakeshore Road 203 Maidstone, Ontario N0R 1K0 |
| Denomination | Serbian Orthodox |
| History | |
| Consecrated | 2014 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | John Peter Thomson |
| Architectural type | Postmodern |
| Years built | 1962–1964 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Diocese of Canada |
| Clergy | |
| Pastor(s) | Fr. Marko Dimić |
The church was originally constructed in 1962 as the Maidstone Central Public School. The significance and uniqueness of the building is its architectural style of the 1960s when Canada was approaching its centennial year and special attention was given to construction of new schools and other public buildings across the country.
History
editAs Maidstone Central Public School
editIn the 1960s prior to the Canadian Centennial some 900 buildings were built with "national unity" in mind.[2] The building is unique for its orientation to landscape, horizontal, clean lines, flat facade, with the main entrance in glass and decorative ceramic tiles.[3] Also, its interior mirror these attributes. The building is of architectural value because it is the best example in Essex County of modern design, popularly known as International style. Following modernist design principles, Thomson's building features open space planning with harmony and balance.
The 1962-1964 building was designed and built in Post Modern design by architect John Peter Thomson (1885-1973)[4] who lived in Windsor where he commuted every day to Detroit to work with George D. Mason and Albert Kahn. It was with Kahn that Thomson was given responsibility for the design of several skyscrapers and assembly plant buildings in the Detroit area. He also took on work under his own name and opened his own firm in Windsor in 1936.[5]
As Saint Petka Serbian Orthodox Church
editAfter operating for 50 years, the Greater Essex County School Board sold the school and 8.21-acre lot to the Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Canada on 11 April 2014. The Saint Petka Church School Congregation was initially founded by Bishop of Canada Georgije (Đokić) in November 2013. The school building now altered inside serves as a parish home and a community hub to over sixty Serbian families in Tecumseh and Lakeshore, Ontario.[6]
Two temporary priests (Fr. Miroljub Todorović, 2014-2017; Fr. Drago Knežević, 2018-2020) served the parish until 2021 when Bishop Mitrofan appointed Fr. Duško Marković as permanent priest.[citation needed]
Two school classrooms were conjoined and converted into a chapel, befitting the Byzantine style with a rich hand-carved iconostasis made in Bosnia.[citation needed]
References
edit- ^ "Maidstone school targeted for closure". CBC News. 6 May 2010. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
- ^ "50 years on, centennial buildings still important symbols". CBC News. 29 June 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
- ^ "Maidstone central public school - Bing".
- ^ "Thomson, John Peter | Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada". dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org.
- ^ "JP Thomson Architects Ltd". jpthomson.com. JP Thomson Architects Ltd. 28 May 2013. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
- ^ Црква Свете Петке у Лејкшору (in Serbian)
