Inuvik's "igloo" church

Arctic Dispatch:  Christmas in Inuvik's 'igloo' church

By Joyce LapierreBells echo through the Arctic darkness; there’s no other sound to quiet them. Beckoned by their tolling, hundreds of holiday worshippers shuffle in from the winter night. It’s minus-20 out there, mild by Inuvik standards. Inside, under the snow-frosted cupola of the town’s famed “igloo church,” it’s much warmer, both in temperature and spirit.

With a silvery, Byzantine dome towering 20 metres above downtown Inuvik, this graceful cathedral has been a Mackenzie Delta landmark since it opened in 1960. But for most days, Our Lady of Victory Roman Catholic Parish sits empty, save for Sunday services, the weeknight masses attended by a handful of devotees, and periodic checkups from the caretaker.Comment:  Igloo church! 'Nuff said!

For more on the Inuit, see Early Inuit Were Entrepreneurs and Inuit Circus in Igloolik.