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Home Attraction Our Lady of Good Hope Church

Our Lady of Good Hope Church

The oldest and certainly the most ornate place of worship in the North, this tiny cathedral crowns a bluff overlooking the Mackenzie River in Fort Good Hope. Constructed back in 1865 by Oblate missionaries — including the famed Father Émile Petitot –— the whitewashed church looks from the outside quite plain and stately. The inside, however, glows with elaborate frescoes. The vaulted ceiling depicts a Northern winter’s night sky, while Christian imagery is intermixed with depictions of local plants and wildlife. The 19th-century Gothic Revival church was designated a National Historic Site in 1977 but it still hosts regular services for parishioners.