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.