The church’s dome is the site of one of North America’s most extraordinary pieces of religious art. “The Coronation of Mary, Queen of Heaven” painted by Stephen Meush covers the entire dome and has a curvature of more than 62 feet. At its highest point, it is 55 feet from the floor and contains 157 angels and cherubs, some of them with the faces of Yorkton residents of the day. An estimate done around 2005 for insurance placed its value at over a quarter million dollars. It combines the finest aspects of Ukrainian and Roman art and the successful union of these styles makes it unique in the Americas. Artist Stephen Meush did this work between 1939 and 1941 when St. Mary’s church was still in its original size under the dome. The growth of Yorkton’s Ukrainian Catholic population brought the Redemptorists Order serving the parish to add an east wing to the church in 1955. (From text by Dr. Paul Laverdure) Photo from the book Historic Architecture of Saskatchewan.