St. Mary's Basilica (Halifax)

Last updated
St. Mary's Basilica, Halifax
Halifax St Mary's 01.jpg
St. Mary's Basilica in 2016
St. Mary's Basilica (Halifax)
44°38′40″N63°34′23.69″W / 44.64444°N 63.5732472°W / 44.64444; -63.5732472 Coordinates: 44°38′40″N63°34′23.69″W / 44.64444°N 63.5732472°W / 44.64444; -63.5732472
Location1531 Spring Garden Road
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
B3J 2B9
Denomination Roman Catholic
Website halifaxyarmouth.org/cathedral/
History
Status Cathedral, minor basilica
Consecrated October 19, 1899
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architectural typeNorman-Gothic
Specifications
Materials Granite
Administration
Archdiocese Archdiocese of Halifax
Official nameSt. Mary's Basilica National Historic Site of Canada
Designated1997
Official nameSt. Mary's Basilica
TypeProvincially Registered Property
DesignatedApril 4, 1984
Reference no.00PNS0025

St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica is a Gothic Revival Catholic cathedral located in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the cathedral church of the Archdiocese of Halifax and is the largest Catholic church in the Archdiocese. Consecrated on October 19, 1899, it was made a basilica in 1950 by Pope Pius XII. The St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica boasts the tallest granite spire in North America.

Contents

History

The church has been significantly expanded and altered over time. Originally constructed of wood, it was replaced by a stone structure beginning in 1820 inspired (as were many churches of the day) by Saint Martin in the Fields in London. [1] It was expanded to its present size beginning in 1869, according to designs of Patrick Keely who introduced the Gothic Revival facade and spire. Besides the Gothic features, the spire also includes Norman and Germanic design elements. [1]

The facade and spire are notable for being built entirely of granite. All of the stone was locally obtained, except for the three portals which have a jamb shaft of pink Aberdeen granite. The spire has a height of 189 feet (58 m).

The basilica was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1997. [2]

The church was heavily damaged in the Halifax Explosion on 6 December 1917. All of the stained glass windows were shattered by the force of the blast, and tiny pieces of glass were embedded in the walls. In addition to being peppered by the glass shards, the paintings on the walls suffered water damage from a blizzard which entered the church through the broken windows. The murals were covered over with white paint in the 1950s. In June 2019, work was begun to remove the layers of white paint (using scalpels) and restore damaged portions of the paintings—a project expected to continue until January 2020. [3]

Cemetery

St. Peter's Cemetery located to the west of St. Mary's Basilica is the oldest Catholic cemetery in Halifax, created when the original chapel was built at the site of the basilica in 1784. The St. Peter's Cemetery served as the main Catholic burial place in Halifax until 1843 when it was replaced by Holy Cross Cemetery in 1843. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

A co-cathedral is a cathedral church which shares the function of being a bishop's seat, or cathedra, with another cathedral, often in another city. Instances of this occurred in England before the Protestant Reformation in the dioceses of 'Bath and Wells', and of 'Coventry and Lichfield'. These two dioceses were each named for both cities that served as bishop's seats.

Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace Church in Hawaii, United States

The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace — also known by its original French name Cathédrale de Notre Dame de la Paix, its Portuguese variant Catedral de Nossa Senhora da Paz and its Hawaiian derivative Malia o ka Malu Hale Pule Nui — is the mother church of the Diocese of Honolulu and houses the cathedra of the Bishop of Honolulu in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. It is located at the north end of Fort Street Mall in downtown Honolulu. Another cathedra was installed in the Co-Cathedral of Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus, also serving the diocese.

Basilica of Sainte Anne de Détroit United States historic place

Basilica of Sainte Anne de Détroit (Sainte-Anne-de-Détroit) was founded July 26, 1701 by French colonists in New France, and is the second-oldest continuously operating Roman Catholic parish in the United States. The current Gothic Revival cathedral-styled church, built in 1886, is located at 1000 Ste. Anne Street in Detroit, Michigan, in the Richard-Hubbard neighborhood, near the Ambassador Bridge, and the Michigan Central Station. At one time it was the seat of a diocese that included French territory in Ontario, Canada south of the Detroit River.

St. Michaels Cathedral Basilica (Toronto) Church in Ontario, Canada

St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto, Canada, and one of the oldest churches in Toronto. It is located at 65 Bond Street in Toronto's Garden District. St. Michael's was designed by William Thomas, designer of eight other churches in the city, and was primarily financed by Irish immigrants who resided in the area. The cathedral has a capacity of 1600.

St Marys Cathedral, Sydney Church in New South Wales, Australia

The Cathedral Church and Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Mother of God, Help of Christians is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney and the seat of the Archbishop of Sydney, currently Anthony Fisher OP. It should not be confused with the nearby, later, Anglican St Andrew's Cathedral. It is dedicated to the "Immaculate Mother of God, Help of Christians", Patroness of Australia and holds the title and dignity of a minor basilica, bestowed upon it by Pope Pius XI on 4 August 1932.

Poznań Cathedral Roman Catholic church in Poznań, Poland that is the oldest cathedral in Poland

The Archcathedral Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul in Poznań is one of the oldest churches in Poland and the oldest Polish cathedral, dating from the 10th century. It stands on the island of Ostrów Tumski north-east of the city centre.

Basilica of Saint Mary (Minneapolis) United States historic place

The Basilica of Saint Mary is a Roman Catholic minor basilica located on its own city block along Hennepin Avenue between 16th & 17th Streets in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was the first basilica established in the United States. The Basilica of Saint Mary is the co-cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica, Kochi Church in Kerala, India

The Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica at Fort Kochi, Kochi is one of the nine Basilicas in Kerala. Counted as one of the heritage edifices of Kerala, this church is one of the finest and most impressive churches in India and visited by tourists the whole year round. It is a place of devotion as well as a center of historic significance, endowed with architectural and artistic grandeur and colours of the gothic style.

Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul (Philadelphia) United States historic place

The Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, head church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, is located at 18th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, on the east side of Logan Square in Philadelphia. It was built between 1846 and 1864, and was designed by Napoleon LeBrun, from original plans by the Reverend Mariano Muller and the Reverend John B. Tornatore, with the dome and Palladian facade, designed by John Notman, added after 1850. The interior was largely decorated by Constantino Brumidi.

St. Mary Basilica, Natchez Church in Mississippi, United States

St. Mary Basilica, formerly St. Mary's Cathedral, located in Natchez, Mississippi, United States, is a parish church in the Diocese of Jackson and Minor basilica of the Catholic Church. In 1979 it was listed under its former name as a contributing property in the Natchez On-Top-of-the-Hill Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. The Basilica was dedicated to Mary, under the title Our Lady of Sorrows on December 25, 1843.

Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (Denver) Church in Colorado, United States

The Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception is the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Denver of the Roman Catholic Church. It is located at the corner of Logan Street and Colfax Avenue in the North Capitol Hill neighborhood of central Denver.

Patrick Keely American architect

Patrick Charles Keely was an Irish-American architect based in Brooklyn, New York, and Providence, Rhode Island. He was a prolific designer of nearly 600 churches and hundreds of other institutional buildings for the Roman Catholic Church or Roman Catholic patrons in the eastern United States and Canada, particularly in New York City, Boston and Chicago in the later half of the 19th century. He designed every 19th-century Catholic cathedral in New England. Several other church and institutional architects began their careers in his firm.

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto Roman Catholic Archdiocese in Canada

The Archdiocese of Toronto is a Roman Catholic archdiocese that includes part of the Province of Ontario. Its archbishop is also the ecclesiastical provincial for the dioceses of Hamilton, London, Saint Catharines, and Thunder Bay. The Archbishop is Cardinal Thomas Christopher Collins.

St. Pauls Church (Halifax) Church in Nova Scotia, Canada

St. Paul's Church is an evangelical Anglican church in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia, within the Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island of the Anglican Church of Canada. It is located at the south end of the Grand Parade, an open square in downtown Halifax with Halifax City Hall at the northern end.

Holy Cross Cemetery, Halifax cemetery in Halifax, Canada

Holy Cross Cemetery is a cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia, owned and operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth. It was constructed in 1843 under the direction of Archbishop William Walsh, on land provided by local authorities. Holy Cross Cemetery replaced the first Catholic cemetery in Halifax, the St. Peter's Cemetery located next to St. Mary's Basilica on Spring Garden Road. Since 1843, some 25,000 persons have been buried at Holy Cross, many of Irish descent, including Canada's fourth Prime Minister, Sir John Sparrow Thompson.

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth Roman Catholic archdiocese in Canada

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth is a Roman Catholic archdiocese that includes part of the civil province of Nova Scotia.

St. Patricks Church, Halifax Church in Nova Scotia, Canada

St. Patrick's Church is a Roman Catholic parish church in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The parish was founded in 1843 and the present church was opened in 1885. It is registered as a Provincial Heritage Building and is currently served by the Society of Jesus.

St. Peters Cemetery (Halifax)

St. Peter's Cemetery, later St. Mary's Cemetery, is the oldest Catholic cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia, containing an estimated 3,000 graves dating from 1784 until 1843. It is located in Downtown Halifax at the corner of Spring Garden Road and Grafton Street under a parking lot beside the St. Mary's Basilica and owned by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth.

References

  1. 1 2 J. Philip McAleer, A Pictorial History of the Basilica of St. Mary, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Library of Canadian Architecture, Technical University of Nova Scotia, 1984 (unpaginated)
  2. St. Mary's Basilica . Canadian Register of Historic Places . Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  3. "Uncovering of cathedral's spectacular murals reveals remnants of 1917 Halifax explosion". National Post. 22 December 2019.
  4. Gordon Douglas Pollock and Sharon Riel, “St. Peter's/St. Mary's Burial Registers”, Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia