St. Paul's Church (Halifax)
| St Paul's Church | |
| St Paul's in the Grand Parade | |
|---|---|
 St Paul's Church
|
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| Coordinates: 44°38′50.8″N 63°34′28.36″W / 44.647444°N 63.5745444°W | |
| Location | 1747 Argyle Street, Halifax Nova Scotia |
| Country | Canada |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Churchmanship | Low church |
| Website | Official site |
| History | |
| Founded | 13 June 1750 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | James Gibbs[1] |
| Architectural type | Georgian |
| Completed | 2 September 1750 |
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. The church takes its name from Paul of Tarsus, the apostle famous for his conversion while travelling to Damascus.
Founded in 1749 (the same year as the Halifax colony), it is the oldest still-standing Anglican church in Canada. The building was begun in 1750 (making it the oldest surviving structure in the city of Halifax) and is based on the ground plan of the Gibbs' Marybone Chapel of St. Peter's, Vere Street in London, with later additions such as a larger tower. Reverend William Tutty (1715-1754) opened St Paul's Church (Halifax) on September 2, 1750. [2] Rev William Tutty was the first minister (1750-54); followed by Rev John Breynton (1754-1791), who was absent from 1785-1791.
With the creation of the Diocese of Nova Scotia in 1787, St. Paul's was given the Bishop's seat, making it the first Anglican cathedral outside of Great Britain. It served as the cathedral from 1787-1864.[3] The diocese included Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, St. Johns (now Prince Edward IslanD), and across Quebec and Ontario to Windsor, and Bermuda. For many decades it was one of the only places of worship in Halifax, and other denominations would thus hold services in the building.
During the Halifax Explosion of 1917, a piece of wooden window frame from another building was lodged into the wall of St. Paul's Church, where it remains today.
Saint Paul's has a royal pew, and many royal guests have visited, including the father of Queen Victoria, the Duke of Kent, and Princesses Michael, Margaret, Alexandra, and Elizabeth (Queen Elizabeth II), and Prince William Henry in 1786 (later King William IV), Edward in 1860 (later King Edward VII), and Prince Edward in 1987. However, King George V decline to use the royal pew during his visits to Halifax as the commander of the HMS Thrush. [4]
[edit] References
- ^ Canada's Historic Properties - St. Paul's Anglican Church
- ^ Pound, Richard W. (2005). 'Fitzhenry and Whiteside Book of Canadian Facts and Dates'. Fitzhenry and Whiteside.
- ^ Baxter Emsley, Sarah (1999). St. Paul's in the Grand Parade. halifax: Formac Publishing Company Ltd. pp. 4. ISBN 0-88780-487-X.
- ^ Baxter Emsley, Sarah (1999). St. Paul's in the Grand Parade. Halifax: Formac Publishing Company Ltd. pp. 47–48. ISBN 0-88780-487-X.
[edit] External links
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Coordinates: 44°38′50.8″N 63°34′28.36″W / 44.647444°N 63.5745444°W
- Anglican churches in Nova Scotia
- Heritage sites in Nova Scotia
- Religious organizations established in the 1740s
- 1749 establishments
- Anglican congregations established in the 18th century
- Churches in the Halifax Regional Municipality
- Religious buildings completed in 1750
- National Historic Sites in Nova Scotia
