St. George's Anglican Church (Montreal)

St. George's Anglican Church is a heritage church located in the city's downtown core of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The church is on Stanley Street on the corner of De la Gauchetière Street, although it also faces Peel Street and is opposite Place du Canada.

St. George's Anglican Church
St. George's Anglican Church seen at the corner of De la Gauchetière Street and Peel Street
Location1101 Stanley Street
Montreal, Quebec
DenominationAnglican
Websitewww.st-georges.org
History
StatusActive
Founded1843
Architecture
Heritage designationNational Historic Site of Canada
Designated1990
Architect(s)William Tutin Thomas
Architectural typeNeo-Gothic
Groundbreaking1869
Completed1870
Administration
ProvinceCanada
DioceseMontreal
Clergy
Bishop(s)Mary Irwin-Gibson
RectorHeather Liddell
Laity
Director of musicJean-Sebastien Allaire
Organist(s)Philip Crozier
Churchwarden(s)
  • Tim Pennings
  • Hilliard Goldfarb
Official nameSt. George's Anglican Church National Historic Site of Canada
Designated1990
Interior of the church

The church is named for Saint George, the patron saint of England. St. George's Anglican Church was designated as a National Historic Site of Canada in 1990.[1][2][3]

History

The original St. George's Church opened on June 30, 1843, and was on Notre-Dame Street (then Saint Joseph Street) and Saint David's Lane, just outside the city of Montreal's walls.[4] It was the second Anglican congregation in Montreal and was built to accommodate the overflow of parishioners from Christ Church Cathedral.[5] An organ built by Samuel Russell Warren was installed later that year.[4]

The congregation of St. George's continued to grow as the city expanded to the west. A plot of land at the corner of Peel Street and De la Gauchetière Street was chosen as the site of the current church. This piece of land had been a Jewish cemetery from 1775 to 1854.[4] St. George's was designed by Montreal architect William Tutin Thomas, constructed in 1869, and opened its doors on October 9, 1870.[5] The only furnishing retained from the old church was the pulpit. The old church would serve as a factory for organ-maker Samuel Russell Warren.

The parishioners of St. Jude Church (corner of Coursol Street and Vinet Street in Little Burgundy) and Church of the Advent (corner De Maisonneuve Boulevard and Wood Avenue in Westmount) joined those of St. George's following their churches' closures.[6]

Architecture

The church serves as an example of English Gothic Revival architecture, and was very heavily inspired by 13th-century religious architecture in medieval England.[4] A few of these features include the use of pointed arches and pinnacles.[4]

The bell tower was completed in 1894 and designed by Montreal architect Alexander Francis Dunlop.[4]

The exterior was constructed in carved sandstone with stained glass windows, and the interior is devoid of any pillars, and features traditional English woodwork inside the chapel. The church is also notable for its ceiling beams, which are among the largest in the world.[3] The exposed double-beam hammer roof is second in the world only to the Westminster Hall in span.[4] The tapestry originates from Westminster Abbey in London, where it was used during the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

The interior features dark wood paneling.[4]

The three-light congregational war memorial window by Charles William Kelsey depicts angels holding shields representing the Navy, Army, and Air Force. Below the Army panel is written "He will swallow up death in victory and the Lord God will wipe away all tears from all faces, Isaiah 25:8." Below the Air Force Panel is written "Out of weakness made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens, Hebrews II:34". Below the Navy Panel is written "They that go down to the sea in ships, these see the works of the Lord and His wonders of the deep, Psalm 107:23".

References
  1. "St. George's Anglican Church". Directory of Designations of National Historic Significance of Canada. Parks Canada. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  2. St. George's Anglican Church. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
  3. Parcs Canada, Montréal, une ville d'histoire, 2004, p.65 (in French)
  4. Poliquin, Robert. "St. George's Anglican Church". Organs in Québec. Université du Québec. Retrieved 15 November 2010.
  5. "Outside the Church". About us. St. George's Anglican Church (Montreal). 2010. Retrieved 15 November 2010.
  6. "Our History: Witnessing God since 1843". About us. St. George's Anglican Church (Montreal). 2010. Archived from the original on 23 February 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2010.
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