St. John's Anglican Church (Lunenburg)

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St. John's Anglican Church, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia; The Jessen Bell (1814) in the foreground St. John's Anglican Church, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.jpg
St. John's Anglican Church, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia; The Jessen Bell (1814) in the foreground

St. John's Anglican Church was the first church established in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada (1753). It is the second Church of England built in Nova Scotia, and is the second oldest continuous Protestant church in present-day Canada. Early on 1 November 2001, St. John's church suffered significant damage by fire. It was restored and re-dedicated June 12, 2005.

Contents

The early congregation was mainly Foreign Protestants, including Lutheran Germans. The first missionary was sent by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel was the Rev. Jean-Baptiste Moreau (clergyman) (who is buried in the crypt below the church). [1] Dettlieb Christopher Jessen donated a church bell that is displayed on the church grounds. (Jessen had the bell made by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London, the same company that made Big Ben and the Liberty Bell.) Jessen also donated a silver Paten and Chalice to the church (1814). Bells in the tower were given by Lt. Col. Charles Edwin Kaulbach (1902). Rev. Roger Aitken completed the rectory for the church on Townsend Street (c.1816). [2] The stone monument to John Creighton Sr. in the church was created by John Bacon (1777–1859), a nineteenth century sculptor. He created six monuments in St. Paul's Cathedral and many in Westminster Abbey.

The church remains a vibrant spiritual centre within the community and beyond. It is part of the Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island in the Anglican Church of Canada. The parish welcomed their first female rector, the Rev. Dr. Laura Marie Piotrowicz, in January 2019.

Church building

Original King's Chapel - disassembled and its lumber used to build St. John's 1stKingsChapel Boston.jpg
Original King's Chapel – disassembled and its lumber used to build St. John's

St. John's Church was built during the French and Indian War, using the wood salvaged from an older disassembled church building. When King's Chapel in Boston, Massachusetts, was expanded, its new stone structure was built around its original wooden church, which continued to be used. Then, when that new stone building was completed in 1754, King's Chapel's old wooden frame was disassembled from inside, removed through the new building's windows, and shipped to Lunenburg. [3] Early on 1 November 2001, St. John's church suffered significant damage by fire. It was restored and re-dedicated June 12, 2005. [4] During reconstruction a mystery emerged concerning numerous stars painted within the Church, and which subsequently garnered the interest of international media and astronomers, as the remarkable star scene over the apse may convey the night-sky on the first Christmas (some 2 millennia ago) as seen from Lunenburg. [5] [6]

In 2005, the church contributed wood from a salvaged pew to the Six String Nation project. Parts of that material serve multiple functions within Voyageur, the guitar at the heart of the project, [7] including a back brace, a reinforcing strip and kerfing, all on the interior of the instrument.

Crypt

Rev. Jean-Baptiste Moreau, lead statue by Arthur W. Schwartz, St. John's Anglican Church, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia (c. 1935) Jean-Baptiste Moreau, Nova Scotia.jpg
Rev. Jean-Baptiste Moreau, lead statue by Arthur W. Schwartz, St. John's Anglican Church, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia (c. 1935)

There are 18 people buried in the crypt. 7 people are under age 17. The notable interments include:

Founders of Lunenburg

Others

Ministers (1753–1852)

Rev. Roger Aitken (d. 1825), missionary at Lunenburg for Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (1817-1825), Old Burying Ground (Halifax, Nova Scotia) Roger Aitken, Old Burying Ground, Halifax, Nova Scotia.jpg
Rev. Roger Aitken (d. 1825), missionary at Lunenburg for Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (1817-1825), Old Burying Ground (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreign Protestants</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Sutherland</span>

Major Patrick Sutherland served as commander at Fort Edward and then became one of the founding fathers of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. He remained in command at Lunenburg until his death 15 years after establishing the town. He helped the village survive Father Le Loutre's War and the French and Indian War. During this time he quelled the Lunenburg Rebellion and built blockhouses to protect the village after the Raid on Lunenburg (1756). He participated in the Siege of Louisbourg (1758) and in protecting the village Lunenburg from the subsequent Lunenburg Campaign (1758). Sutherland became a justice of the peace (1759), custos rotulorum (1760) and a justice of the Inferior Court of Common Pleas for Lunenburg County (1760).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church (Lunenburg)</span>

The Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church is a church in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. The church is the home of the oldest active Lutheran congregation in Canada. German Lutheran settlers arrived in 1753 and held services in the open air and later at St. John's Anglican Church (Lunenburg). The first church on this site was built in 1772 in preparation for the arrival of its first pastor, the Rev. Mr. Friederich Schultz at Lunenburg. He stayed for 8 years.

James Cuppaidge Cochran (1798–1880) was an Anglican priest and editor in Lunenburg and Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was a minister at St. John's Anglican Church (Lunenburg) (1825-1852). He also published both the Colonial Churchman (1835-1840) in Lunenburg and later the Church Times in Halifax. While in Halifax, he supported the establishment of the Halifax School for the Deaf. He is the son of Rev. William Cochran (clergyman), the founder of King's College, Nova Scotia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean-Baptiste Moreau (clergyman)</span>

Jean-Baptiste Moreau was first minister at St. John's Anglican Church (Lunenburg) (1753-1770) and one of the founding fathers of the community. He was one of two missionaries who first arrived in Halifax with Edward Cornwallis (1749) and served at St. Paul's Church (Halifax). His wife had the first child born in Halifax and was named Cornwallis after the Governor. Then in 1753 he was sent to help establish Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. Rev Moreau served the community throughout the French and Indian War. He reported to Society for Propagation of the Gospel (SPG) in London, "…the number massacred by Indians in Lunenburg District during the War was 32." He learned the Mi'kmaw language and is reported to have baptised a number of Mi'kmaq children. He is buried in the crypt of St. John's Anglican Church

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church (Lunenburg)</span>

St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church is a church in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. The congregation is the longest history of any Presbyterian congregation in Canada. After meeting at a private house, the congregation worshipped in St. John's Anglican Church (Lunenburg) (1759–1770). The first church was built in 1770 and the first minister was Reverend Bruin Romkes Comingo, who served the community for 50 years until he died at age 95 (1820). The current church was built in the neo-gothic style and dates from 1828.

The Hillcrest Cemetery is the oldest protestant cemetery in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia and one of the oldest in Canada. The cemetery is adjacent to the Lunenburg Academy. The oldest marker is dated 1761, eight years after Lunenburg was established. Hillcrest Cemetery contains 5 Commonwealth war graves from World War I and one from World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Aitken</span> 19th-century Scottish Anglican priest and missionary

Roger Aitken was a Scottish Anglican priest known for his service as a missionary at Lunenburg, Nova Scotia (1817-1825) for the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. He was the rector at St. John's Anglican Church and was instrumental in gaining construction of the Rectory and in founding St. Peter's Anglican Church, New Dublin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Peter's Anglican Church (West LaHave, Nova Scotia)</span>

St. Peter's Anglican Church is a church in West LaHave, Nova Scotia that was established in 1818 by Roger Aitken, the missionary at Lunenburg for Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (1817-1825). The first church was built in 1829 and consecrated in 1834. The church remains active. Aitken gave to the church the oldest known Anglican Chalice and Paten in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Shreve</span>

Thomas Shreve was an 18th-century Anglican minister.

References

  1. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nslssgs/sjhist.htm [ user-generated source ]
  2. HistoricPlaces.Ca
  3. "King's Chapel". Freedom Trail Foundation. 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-03-25. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  4. O'Connor, John (December 23, 2014). "Holy jigsaw puzzle: After a fire gutted a historic church, N.S. town began an incredible reconstruction". National Post . Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  5. "Ancient Stars Shine On". Astronomy Magazine. 2004.
  6. "The Mysterious Stars of St. John's Church Lunenburg". Discovery Channel. 2004.
  7. Jowi., Taylor (2009). Six string nation : 64 pieces, 6 strings, 1 Canada, 1 guitar . Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre. ISBN   9781553653936. OCLC   302060380.
  8. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-09-27. Retrieved 2016-09-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. p. 31
  10. p. 81
  11. p. 83
  12. Acadie and the Acadians By D. Luther Roth, pp.270-281
  13. p. 84
  14. Grave in Guysborough
  15. "Christ Church Anglican Cemetery - Guysborough, Guysborough County, NS".
  16. p. 85
  17. History of the County of Lunenburg By Mather Byles DesBrisay, p. 86
  18. Main correspondents: Rev. Roger Aitken, Aberdeen/Lunenburg, 1814-25
  19. p. 212
  20. 'AITKEN, ROGER, ?-1825' A house is not a home - Rev. Roger Aitken and the struggle for a Lunenburg rectory. By Allan C. Dunlop. In Collections of the Nova Scotia Historical Society. Vol 41, pp. 47-63.
  21. Canadian Biography
  22. In memoriam [microform] : James Cuppaidge Cochran, D.D., died June 20th, A.D. 1880, aet 82. 1880. ISBN   9780665130595.

44°22′41″N64°18′40″W / 44.3781°N 64.3112°W / 44.3781; -64.3112