St. Mary's Basilica (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica is a Gothic Revival Catholic cathedral located in the downtown core of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth and is the largest Catholic church in the Archdiocese. Consecrated on October 19, 1899, it was made a basilica in 1950 by Pope Pius XII. The St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica boasts the tallest granite spire in North America.

St. Mary's Basilica, Halifax
St. Mary's Basilica in 2016
44°38′40″N 63°34′23.69″W
Location5221 Spring Garden Road
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3J 1Z3
DenominationRoman Catholic
Websitestmcathedral.com/
History
StatusCathedral, minor basilica
ConsecratedOctober 19, 1899
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architectural typeNorman-Gothic
Specifications
MaterialsGranite
Administration
ArchdioceseArchdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth
Official nameSt. Mary's Basilica National Historic Site of Canada
Designated1997
Official nameSt. Mary's Basilica
TypeProvincially Registered Property
DesignatedApril 4, 1984
Reference no.00PNS0025

History
St. Mary's Cathedral, in a postcard

The church has been significantly expanded and altered over time. Originally constructed of wood, it was replaced by a stone structure beginning in 1820 inspired (as were many churches of the day) by Saint Martin in the Fields in London.[1] It was expanded to its present size beginning in 1869, according to designs of Patrick Keely who introduced the Gothic Revival façade and spire. Besides the Gothic features, the spire also includes Norman and Germanic design elements.[1]

The façade and spire are notable for being built entirely of granite. All of the stone was locally obtained, except for the three portals which have a jamb shaft of pink Aberdeen granite. The spire has a height of 189 feet (58 m).

The basilica was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1997.[2]

The church was heavily damaged in the Halifax Explosion on 6 December 1917. All of the stained glass windows were shattered by the force of the blast, and tiny pieces of glass were embedded in the walls. In addition to being peppered by the glass shards, the paintings on the walls suffered water damage from a blizzard which entered the church through the broken windows. The murals were covered over with white paint in the 1950s. In June 2019, work was begun to remove the layers of white paint (using scalpels) and restore damaged portions of the paintings—a project expected to continue until January 2020.[3]

Cemetery

St. Peter's Cemetery located to the west of St. Mary's Basilica is the oldest Catholic cemetery in Halifax, created when the original chapel was built at the site of the basilica in 1784. The St. Peter's Cemetery served as the main Catholic burial place in Halifax until 1843 when it was replaced by Holy Cross Cemetery.[4]

See also

References
  1. J. Philip McAleer, A Pictorial History of the Basilica of St. Mary, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Library of Canadian Architecture, Technical University of Nova Scotia, 1984 (unpaginated)
  2. St. Mary's Basilica. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  3. "Uncovering of cathedral's spectacular murals reveals remnants of 1917 Halifax explosion". National Post. 22 December 2019.
  4. Gordon Douglas Pollock and Sharon Riel, “St. Peter's/St. Mary's Burial Registers”, Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia
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