The Great Canadian churches thread

[J.OT13]

Victoria seems to have a richer stock of heritage churches than Vancouver.

[Martin Mtl]

St. Patrick's was established for Montreal's English speaking catholics, in particular for the Irish immigrants fleeing the oppressive anti catholic penal laws in their native Ireland.

Originally these Irish immigrants worshipped in Notre Dame de Bon Secours Chapel in Old Montreal. When the tragic potato famine hit Ireland, the number of Irish immigrants to Montreal swelled and soon this church became too small for the nearly 6,500 Irish Catholics in the city.

Due to the increasing number of Irish Catholics, it was decided to establish a new parish dedicated to serve them so in 1843, the current site was purchased and construction began on the massive gothic revival church which stands today. The church was designed by P. L Morin and Fr. Felix Martin SJ, the latter of whom was a French Jesuit missionary and architect.

The interior of the church is one of the most splendid in Montreal. It is a vast and cavernous space. The dramatic high altars and the side altars flanking it, are some of the most impressive in the city, rivaling, the magnificent altar of the nearby Basilica of Notre Dame. Each altar is adorned with dozens of statues of saints and angels rising high above the nave.








SOURCE

[J.OT13]

Capitaine Montréal has been going on a Church binge recently.

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[megadude]

Don't know if I've ever seen a motel converted into a temple before like this one in Niagara. Then on the QEW on the way home I saw this interesting Sikh symbol adorned vehicle.

Also a Ukrainian Catholic church in Niagara Falls I hadn't seen before.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by Martin Mtl

St. Patrick's was established for Montreal's English speaking catholics, in particular for the Irish immigrants fleeing the oppressive anti catholic penal laws in their native Ireland.

Originally these Irish immigrants worshipped in Notre Dame de Bon Secours Chapel in Old Montreal. When the tragic potato famine hit Ireland, the number of Irish immigrants to Montreal swelled and soon this church became too small for the nearly 6,500 Irish Catholics in the city.

Due to the increasing number of Irish Catholics, it was decided to establish a new parish dedicated to serve them so in 1843, the current site was purchased and construction began on the massive gothic revival church which stands today. The church was designed by P. L Morin and Fr. Felix Martin SJ, the latter of whom was a French Jesuit missionary and architect.

The interior of the church is one of the most splendid in Montreal. It is a vast and cavernous space. The dramatic high altars and the side altars flanking it, are some of the most impressive in the city, rivaling, the magnificent altar of the nearby Basilica of Notre Dame. Each altar is adorned with dozens of statues of saints and angels rising high above the nave.








SOURCE

drop dead gorgeous interior.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by megadude

Also a Ukrainian Catholic church in Niagara Falls I hadn't seen before.

That looks like the type of wooden church that you see in the Carpathian foothills, it's a fairly rare design in Canada. I had no idea there was something like that in Niagara Falls of all places, and it must be quite central given the Skylon Tower peeking out in the background. Had I known about this I would have gone for a look when I was in town earlier this spring.

[thurmas]

I am Lutheran and go to Joy Lutheran at 50 Barnes in Winnipeg across the street from a Superstore. Most Lutheran churches are very bland and have no real architecturally distinct features compared to Catholic churches.

https://joylutheranchurch.ca/explore/get-to-know-us

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by thurmas

I am Lutheran and go to Joy Lutheran at 50 Barnes in Winnipeg across the street from a Superstore. Most Lutheran churches are very bland and have no real architecturally distinct features compared to Catholic churches.

https://joylutheranchurch.ca/explore/get-to-know-us

That's kind of the point, no? (hint - Reformation).

[megadude]

Some Hamilton places of worship:

ST.CHARLES GARNIER ROMAN CATHOLIC PARISH, Hamilton


Canadian Martyrs Roman Catholic Church & Saint Kateri University Student Centre


Cathedral Basilica of Christ the King


Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church


Korean United Church


Our Lady of Mercy Lithuanian Catholic Church, Hamilton – Some rather disproportionate eyes on the statue of St. Joseph





St. Luke's Roman Catholic Parish


Holy Cross Croatian Parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hamilton


Saint Patrick's Roman Catholic Church





Slovak Byzantine Catholic Curch



St. Ann Hamilton Roman Catholic Church



St. Stanislaus Church, Saint Ann Street, Hamilton, ON



Gurdwara Shaheedgarh Sahib Hamilton



Christ's Church Cathedral, James Street North, Hamilton, ON



Mountain Mosque



Bošnjački Islamski Centar Hamilton

[esquire]

^ Great post. St. Stanislaus has a very American look to it... it's the kind of church I'd expect to see in a photo tour of a place like Detroit or Toledo.

[megadude]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ Great post. St. Stanislaus has a very American look to it... it's the kind of church I'd expect to see in a photo tour of a place like Detroit or Toledo.

Yeah true. Churches and other building stock in Hamilton. Good for TV and movie shoots.

[mousquet]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

drop dead gorgeous interior.

It is some medieval revival from the 19th century, old-fashioned and overly loaded with decorations IMO.

Not all Catholic churches are that way. Today, they focus on light getting inside, not so much on all that decoration.

You guys need to be aware that all the stained glass and sculptures from the medieval era were meant for all the people who couldn't even read. Most of them actually, back then in the Middle Ages.
The decoration was supposed to picture scenes of the Gospel, for them.
Even in the 19th century, a much much larger squad of the overall population was decently educated.

Thank God, all people in our countries can read today. If they want to read the Bible, it's up to them. And reading it with interesting comments is definitely something good, if not essential.
So all of this may be quaint and full of skills by craftsmen, it is no longer literally necessary nowadays.

Just saying for all those of you guys that would be nostalgic for the past, while you're actually way better off in our contemporary time.

[Architype]

Originally Posted by mousquet

It is some medieval revival from the 19th century, old-fashioned and overly loaded with decorations IMO.

Not all Catholic churches are that way. Today, they focus on light getting inside, not so much on all that decoration.

You guys need to be aware that all the stained glass and sculptures from the medieval era were meant for all the people who couldn't even read. Most of them actually, back then in the Middle Ages.
The decoration was supposed to picture scenes of the Gospel, for them.
Even in the 19th century, a much much larger squad of the overall population was decently educated.

Thank God, all people in our countries can read today. If they want to read the Bible, it's up to them. And reading it with interesting comments is definitely something good, if not essential.
So all of this may be quaint and full of skills by craftsmen, it is no longer literally necessary nowadays.

Just saying for all those of you guys that would be nostalgic for the past, while you're actually way better off in our contemporary time.

Light was always important, I mean, there wasn't much electricity in the 1500s, so they used things like clerestory windows. It's interesting about the stained glass windows being for the illiterate, of course it's basically true, as well as the whole thing with heights being designed to awe, and it worked very well. The Catholic church didn't want its parishioners reading and interpreting for themselves, that was only changed by the Protestant reformation and invention of the printing press. As for modernity, most people don't have much in-depth understanding or appreciation of modern architecture, they just like fancy stuff.

[mousquet]

Originally Posted by Architype

The Catholic church didn't want its parishioners reading and interpreting for themselves, that was only changed by the Protestant reformation and invention of the printing press.

Neither Luther nor Calvin invented it, though.
Of course credit is given to Gutenberg alone, who was a craftsman and some kind of entrepreneur in the 15th century, that was earlier than the earliest Protestant reformation.

I'll admit Luther and Calvin were helpful people in their time, but lots of today's so-called Protestants are quite something else.
They'd rather worship their own idols than actually serve the Christian cause.

You cannot pretend to be a pastor overnight just like that to steal money from your church-goers.
It requires education, culture, and above all faith to be a pastor. Not all people are qualified to do this.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by megadude

Some Hamilton places of worship:

Thanks for sharing that!

Another few:


St. Paul's Presbyterian, downtown, built in the 1850s (apparently it has the tallest all-stone spire in the country, at 60m... that may generate some debate on this board )







Source (with more pics)


James Street Baptist on the block south of St. Paul's, built by 1882. Only the front remains... the back end was demolished in 2014 for a condo project that has yet to begin, and the site is now in the hands of its third owner.



Source





Source


St. Vladimir Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral, whose spires sometimes appear on camera during Ticat games (it's a block northeast of the stadium)




MacNab Street Presbyterian (1850s), familiar to anyone who has taken the GO train to/from the downtown station.






Centenary United (1868) which is now New Vision United Church and is also used as a music venue




There are a number of conversions that have taken place or are planned, either keeping the original church building or replacing it with a building that has space for parishioners.


Many more at Historical Hamilton, the source for some of the images including Centenary, MacNab, and St. Vladimir.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by ScreamingViking

Thanks for sharing that!

Another few:


St. Paul's Presbyterian, downtown, built in the 1850s (apparently it has the tallest all-stone spire in the country, at 60m... that may generate some debate on this board )



...

Something about this made me want to check further and I see that it was originally built as an Anglican Church.

[megadude]

I wanted to post more Hamilton churches a while ago but never found the time. I posted a few a few years ago but we've now made it a more comprehensive list. Though I'm sure there's a few more gems worth posting.

[esquire]

St. Vladimir in Hamilton has to be the best known Hamilton church based on years of football game TV exposure of the domes... the facade looks different than I would have expected it to, though. Wasn't expecting the stone and masonry.

[Innsertnamehere]

Cathedral Basilica of Christ the King has always been the most prominent church in Hamilton to me - it's downright huge and is very prominent from the 403.

Another now defunct Hamilton church - All Saints, which was demolished and condo-fied:

2015:



Today:



St Giles United is similarly at risk of demolition for development, though it still stands for now:



St. Thomas Anglican, recently converted to apartments:



Stoney Creek United, which is a handsome Romanesque church with some awful modernist additions hiding it:

[Innsertnamehere]

A tour of churches in my home-town of Uxbridge, Ontario:

Unfortunately Trinity United was recently demolished due to extensive damage from a tornado which ripped through the town last year:



https://www.flickr.com/photos/57156785@N02/28441770205


https://www.thespec.com/local-uxbrid...-uxbridge.html

St Pauls Anglican, which is right next to the municipal offices on Toronto St:



across the street is St Andrews-Chalmers Presbyterian:



Sacred Heart Roman Catholic, which is what I grew up attending. Nothing fancy:



Uxbridge Baptist, a respectable mid-century building:



Uxbridge Free Methodist, a small mid-century building:

[IMG][/IMG]