Smuts was named for Ian Smuts, a general of the Boer War. There
is not much left of Smuts. Most of the houses, outbuildings, stores
and farm machinery have been abandoned & are returning to the
elements.The only thing left in Smuts in good condition is the
Pryma St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church.
The first church of St. John the Baptist was constructed in 1905
on a fifteen acre site one and one-half miles west and one mile
south of Smuts. It was destroyed by fire in 1925; in 1926 the
second church was constructed on the same site which was reduced to
ten acres as five acres were released by the parishioners for the
construction of a Ukrainian Greek Orthodox church. In 1954, for
practical reasons, the church was relocated on a half acre site in
westerly Smuts. In 1955 this church was moved from that site a bit
south of here to its current site.
The church is a wood constructed cruciform structure, 67 x 39
feet, with an open central dome and smaller cupolas above the front
towers. Both the interior and exterior walls have narrow wood
siding, the roof is shingled while the domes have white sheet metal
covering.
The interior is dominated by a large well-illuminated octagonal
central dome and contains a sanctuary, sacristies, the nave and a
choir loft. An adjoining separately roofed porch serves as a
vestibule. The main altar in the sanctuary and two small side
altars in the nave, which are dedicated to the Mother of God and
Christ the Redeemer, were hand carved by a technique known as
"rizba" by Stepan Meush; the church patron oil on canvas painting
behind the main altar is also the work of this artist. The church
contains wooden pews seating approx. 170 persons, has electricity
and central oil heating. Construction was accomplished at a total
cost of $11,000 and through the generous voluntary labour of the
parishioners. Chief foreman of construction was E. Slonetsky.
In 1926 the parishioners constructed a single bell belfry near
the church and, also nearby, installed a cross commemorating the
Holy Mission of the parish. The parish hall, Prosvita Home of
Andrey Sheptytsky, served as a rectory on the original site; in
1934, during the pastorate of Rev. Stephen Semczuk, it was
reconstructed into a parish hall and was later relocated together
with the church to the site in Smuts. The parish cemetery is on the
original site. The combined fifteen acre church and cemetery site
was donated to the parish by Ivan Pryma, thus the adopted name of
the parish.
The congregation of this church celebrated its 100th anniversary
in 2005. The remaining members almost all reside in Saskatoon so
the church is only used for special occasions. Here are a couple of
interior pics:
