Quote:
Originally Posted by kwoldtimer
Both are sweet looking. Shame that the stone one sits abandoned rather than converted into a home or something.
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by ScreamingViking
Definitely.
One thing I just thought: are there cemeteries next to many of these small churches? In Ontario they're so often right beside the local church. That one in Shefford, if in this province, would probably have grave sites immediately to the left in that image.
|
Just to be clearer (excuse my ESL), but the Frost Village Church is currently in a state of disuse rather than abandoned. It used to be abandoned (there was a fire in the 1970s), until it was renovated by the local historical society.
In general, in the Eastern Townships, the historical societies have been very proactive in keeping the heritage. For example, when a cemetery is inactive for a number of years (50 seems to be the norm), the historical societies will usually become the keepers, whether they are the owners or not (see : Missisquoi historical society). In some cases, municipalities often adopt legislation to take charge of maintenance. Sutton is an example.
As for the Frost Village cemetery, it is not right behind the church. It is located on Clark Hill Road, closer to Waterloo. @urbandreamer, you can find the exact location
here.
Rural protestant cemeteries in the Quebec townships were almost never located next to the church. In the early 19th century, it was important that the location of the cemetery would ensure a harmonius passage from life on earth to eternal life. The cemeteries were often established on a high point, a hill, or more broadly in the countryside on a picturesque location, and were generally planted with at least one pine (a sacred tree). You would also very often find periwinkles, since these flowers, like death, were associated to a long peaceful sleep. The graves were also often oriented towards the east. The plots of land were given by families of the community to the parish.
Other times, because of the diverse confessional landscape and the small scale of the communities (you could for example find Wesleyans, Baptists, Anglicans, etc. in the same tiny village), a group would opt for a familial cemetery located directly on a private property. These are quite numerous. Most of them are known, but the inventory is still not complete.
Catholic cemeteries, on the other hand, were generally located right behind the church, as it was assumed that there were no holier sites in the parish. These lands were blessed at the erection of the parish. When the catholic villages grew, cemeteries were often moved at the outskirts of the town, as the bodies inside of the charniers (charnel houses??) would cause public health issues, with the melting snow and spring rains. There was no burial during winter.
Prev
Linear Mode
