Woodford Sheppard Architecture has completed a minimal wooden church in a remote town in Labrador, Canada.

Our Lady of the Snows is located in Sheshatshiu, a small isolated village with 1,300 residents located in Canadian province Newfoundland and Labrador. The area is a settlement of indigenous people of Eastern Quebec and Labrador, known as the Innus.
The project was commissioned by the Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation Band Council, the local institution that governs the village, to form a community amenity for religious and secular users in the village.

"Situated on the banks of Labrador's Lake Melville, Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Church stands against an impressively rugged landscape, one that is characteristic of Canada's northern regions," said architectural office Woodford Sheppard. "While the intention of the building's design was to create a visible landmark within the community, the new church endeavours to not overshadow or dominate its neighbours."

The 422 square-metre building is sited in the centre of the town, on the shore of Lake Melville. It draws inspiration from Moravian church design, which is found throughout the region, and vernacular Innu and First Nation's influences.
Moravian Protestants first reached Canada's East coast in the 18th century. This branch of Christianity has Germanic origins, and its architecture typically displays austere features. This tradition still survives throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

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