The Great Canadian churches thread

[megadude]

Originally Posted by Doug

Instead of a Great Canadian Church, how about the Real Canadian Superchurch?


It was developed as part of a strip mall and shared architectural details and exterior finishes with the adjacent grocery store. Renovations have "stripped" the mall of historical authenticity, but the Real Canadian Superchurch remains true to its mid 90's design intent.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Fo...4d-114.1589463

I wonder how many "super churches" there are in Canada. I guess it can't hold the same definition as in the US where it's 2,000 parishioners at a sermon and usually protestant or evangelical.

Perhaps these two, in Oakville and Burlington, could join the list with that Calgary one.

https://www.google.com/maps/@43.3860...7i16384!8i8192

https://www.google.com/maps/@43.3384...7i13312!8i6656


Also, has there been any traditional "Canadian" church constructed in the last 50 years that we would consider attractive these days? Seems like virtually anything built a hundred plus years ago fits the description of attractive. It's gotta be due to contstruction costs, but I would have thought there'd be some super rich fella that is the religious type that would have built something magnificent for whatever church he was a part of.

I've noticed for Anglican churches, a lot of them incorporate the stone to pay homage to the ones from back in the day, which is a nice touch, but nothing modern can hold a candle to those from way back in the past.

[MolsonExport]

Micho, those are Jaw dropping shots. I have been to both Trois Pistoles (ex GF's family hails from TP) and Magog. Lovely churches!

[MolsonExport]

That Superstore Church is hideous, made all the worse by the acres of parking. First you sell you soul, then you have it sucked by the hideous structure. All the charm of a Real Canadian Stupidstore or Missingsausage City Hall.

[urbandreamer]

Yesterday driving down Hessen Strasse I stopped to admire St John's Lutheran (1872)
https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep...u.aspx?id=9722
https://www.google.com/maps/@43.5081...7i13312!8i6656

[Architype]

Originally Posted by Doug

Instead of a Great Canadian Church, how about the Real Canadian Superchurch?


It was developed as part of a strip mall and shared architectural details and exterior finishes with the adjacent grocery store. Renovations have "stripped" the mall of historical authenticity, but the Real Canadian Superchurch remains true to its mid 90's design intent.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Fo...4d-114.1589463

It looks like a place where I could get a reallly good hamburger.
"Would you like prayers with that?"
"No, hold the lettuce pray"

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by Architype

It looks like a place where I could get a reallly good hamburger.
"Would you like prayers with that?"
"No, hold the lettuce pray"

"Would you like to give your heart to Jesus?"
"No thanks, I'll skip the cheeses. And hold the mayo while you're at it."

[lio45]

Originally Posted by megadude

True. I had to do a double take when I saw the pic. I said that don't look like a church 'round these parts. Definitely Eastern US vibes.

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

The Greek Revival style of that NOTL church looks like it was transplanted from somewhere in New England or U.S. Eastern Seaboard.

Originally Posted by Chadillaccc

NOTL was settled by loyalists... that's probably why.

That style is kinda typical for Sherbrooke for the mid-1800s. (The church in the first pic is still standing.)

[lio45]

(BTW, for those who've noticed that "St. Patrick's" and were wondering, know that it was originally built by, and for, Methodists in the 1850s, and after a few decades the growing Irish community acquired it from them and turned it into their church. It is definitely not a typically Catholic style at all.)

[esquire]

Originally Posted by megadude

Also, has there been any traditional "Canadian" church constructed in the last 50 years that we would consider attractive these days? Seems like virtually anything built a hundred plus years ago fits the description of attractive. It's gotta be due to contstruction costs, but I would have thought there'd be some super rich fella that is the religious type that would have built something magnificent for whatever church he was a part of.

The answer to your question depends on whether you consider modernist styles of church architecture attractive. I can tell you that around here there are some architecturally acclaimed churches built within the past 50 years, but none of them have the traditional styles that a church from 100 years ago might have.

Here is an example of what I'm talking about: Église du Précieux Sang by well known Manitoba architect Étienne Gaboury (1969). Admittedly not the greatest picture, but you get the idea.

[megadude]

Ya that would at least qualify as interesting and to some as attractive. It's definitely more pleasing to look at than a traditional modern "Canadian" church. It's good to see that departure from boring style.

If I were to pass by that I'd probably guess it was Ukrainian and not Catholic, so that's a little bit surprising.

[MolsonExport]

Interesting, for sure. Beautiful? well not to me but beats the heck out of most wretched modernist style churches or even worse, the completely unadorned, extremely blah temples of the Jehovah's Witlesses and the Seventh Day Advertisements.

https://www.google.com/maps/@43.021,...i6656?hl=en-US

[shappy]

A few modern churches in Toronto:

Holy Eucharist Ukrainian Catholic (1967). On Broadview facing Riverdale Park Streetview

source

St. Andrew's United Church (1981). Tucked away in a courtyard along Bloor St. E. (not to be confused with St. Andrew's Presbyterian on King W) Streetview

source

St. Peter's Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church (1955). Mount Pleasant just north of Eglinton. Streetview

source

Interior

source

[megadude]

Good posts. There's many more in TO that haven't been posted and I wasn't about to be the curator of that exhibit. Not enough time to do that.

There's gotta be tonnes more for Montreal and the rest of Quebec too. And some other gems in the ROC.

I'd like to see a top 100 temples or places of worship in Canada list. I see that there is a 10 churches to see list:

https://traveltriangle.com/blog/churches-in-canada/

[urbandreamer]

In my old 'hood on Brunswick Avenue, I lived just up the street from this little shul and once attended a service - First Narayever: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_...r_Congregation
https://www.google.com/maps/@43.6627...7i16384!8i8192

I also went here once:
https://www.google.com/maps/@43.6686...7i16384!8i8192
Russian Orthodox Church of Christ the Saviour

Church of the Redeemer
https://www.google.com/maps/@43.6687...7i16384!8i8192

[Martin Mtl]

Originally Posted by megadude

Good posts. There's many more in TO that haven't been posted and I wasn't about to be the curator of that exhibit. Not enough time to do that.

There's gotta be tonnes more for Montreal and the rest of Quebec too. And some other gems in the ROC.

I'd like to see a top 100 temples or places of worship in Canada list. I see that there is a 10 churches to see list:

https://traveltriangle.com/blog/churches-in-canada/

There are so many mistakes in that list, like listing Notre-Dame basilica in Montreal twice under two different names 😏

[megadude]

We have almost no synagogues on this list. For some reason, Jews didn't build impressive structures here. Not sure how it is back in the homeland or ROW, but that one in the first link does have a nice paint job. Though I am more interested in that house to the right.

[megadude]

Originally Posted by Martin Mtl

There are so many mistakes in that list, like listing Notre-Dame basilica in Montreal twice under two different names 😏

Most blog or top 10 sites or whatever front as something professional but are very amateur behind the scenes. Some actually have good writers but they are not where they want to be in their careers so they just phone it in and move onto the next clickbait top 10 list.

I'm glad they didn't call it "Top 10" so there's at least that.

[megadude]

Over the last few days I noticed these while scoping out neighbouring properties on streetview for work.

Ching Kwok Buddhist Temple, Toronto. Like most Buddhists temples in this country, the took an existing building and dressed it up.


https://www.emporis.com/images/detai...erior-exterior


St. Mary's Dormition Ukrainian Catholic Church, Toronto

https://www.emporis.com/buildings/12...toronto-canada


Randolph Theatre:
The current building was erected in 1888 by the congregation of the Bathurst Street Wesleyan Methodist Church. The cornerstone was laid by Sir John A. Macdonald, first Prime Minister of Canada. Over the years it inspired many church congregations, eventually becoming the Bathurst Street United Church. In the 1950s, facing a dwindling congregation, the building began to be rented out for concerts and plays. The building became better known as a theatre than a church. In 1985, the building became a permanent and well known theatre.

https://www.emporis.com/buildings/11...toronto-canada


Ontario Khalsa Darbar (Sikh) right across from YYZ

https://fr.yelp.ca/biz/ontario-khals...ar-mississauga

https://igurudwara.com/ontario-khals...r-mississauga/

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by megadude

We have almost no synagogues on this list. For some reason, Jews didn't build impressive structures here. Not sure how it is back in the homeland or ROW, but that one in the first link does have a nice paint job. Though I am more interested in that house to the right.

Beth Tzedec in Toronto is pretty impressive, in an Establishment Conservative Jews at prayer sort of way.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by megadude

We have almost no synagogues on this list. For some reason, Jews didn't build impressive structures here. Not sure how it is back in the homeland or ROW, but that one in the first link does have a nice paint job. Though I am more interested in that house to the right.

The collection of synagogues in Winnipeg is not particularly impressive... there are a couple of nice mid-century modern synagogues, but nothing that will really knock anyone's socks off.

The most prominent Winnipeg synagogue is Shaarey Zedek, which is in a highly visible location on Wellington Crescent:



Here's a very typical synagogue, Chevra Mishnayes. There are several of these somewhat nondescript post-war synagogues, mostly in the northern suburbs around West Kildonan and Garden City.



There are also some old-school synagogue buildings around town, mostly in the North End and Downtown areas. Not many of them are still functioning as synagogues as there are is almost no Jewish population left around there, but I think one or two might still be chugging along. These buildings tend to be pretty plain and austere, like this North End synagogue, House of Ashkenaze.



It's kind of interesting to how the synagogues have followed the path of the Jewish community in Winnipeg... it started out in the North End, then went north in the postwar years to the suburban areas of West Kildonan and Garden City, then south in the 80s and 90s to Tuxedo and River Heights where it is centred today.