St. Anne's Anglican Church facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St. Anne's Anglican Church
Exterior of the church in 2009
Denomination	Anglican Church of Canada
History
Dedication	Saint Anne
Architecture
Heritage designation	National Historic Site of Canada
Designated	1996
Architect(s)	William Ford Howland
Style	Byzantine Revival
Years built	1907–1908
Administration
Parish	St. Anne's, Brockton
Deanery	Parkdale
Diocese	Toronto
Province	Ontario

St. Anne's Anglican Church was a special church in the Brockton Village area of Toronto, Ontario. It was also known as St. Anne's, Gladstone Avenue, St. Anne's, Brockton, or the Group of Seven Church. This church was part of the Anglican Church of Canada.

The church building was built between 1907 and 1908. It had a unique Byzantine Revival style, which was unusual for an Anglican church. Inside, it was decorated with beautiful murals painted in 1923 by famous Canadian artists, including members of the Group of Seven. There were also Byzantine mosaics added in the 1960s. The Group of Seven artists, like J. E. H. MacDonald, Frederick Varley, and Franklin Carmichael, were known for their landscape paintings. Their work inside St. Anne's was a rare example of their religious art.

Sadly, the church building, including its art, was mostly destroyed by a fire on June 9, 2024. People quickly said they wanted to rebuild it.

History of St. Anne's Church

The St. Anne's church community started in 1862. It was created to serve the small village of Brockton, which later became part of Toronto in 1884. The first church building was on Dufferin Street. This building was made bigger three times as the community grew. St. Anne's was one of seven churches in the Parkdale Deanery.

By 1906, the church building was too small for everyone. The leader of the church, Canon Lawrence Skey, decided they needed a new one. In 1907, a contest was held to choose the best design for the new church. William Ford Howland won the contest. He worked for an architecture company called Burke & Horwood.

Unique Byzantine Style

The new St. Anne's Church was built in the Byzantine Revival style. This style was very different for an Anglican church in Canada. The church was made of concrete and brick. It had a cross shape, called a cruciform plan. A special feature was its large central dome, which was about 21 meters (69 feet) high.

Other interesting parts of the church included two bell towers with domes. It also had a half-domed area for the altar, called a chancel, and arched sections on the sides, known as transepts. St. Anne's was the only Anglican church in Canada built in the Byzantine style. Because of its importance, the building was protected by the Ontario Heritage Trust. It was also named a National Historic Site by the Government of Canada in 1996.

Art by the Group of Seven

In 1923, Canon Lawrence Skey asked for art to be added inside the church. J. E. H. MacDonald, a founding member of the famous Group of Seven, led this art project. MacDonald brought together other Canadian artists. These included fellow Group of Seven members Frederick Varley and Franklin Carmichael. Other artists involved were Thoreau MacDonald, Neil Mackechnie, Arthur N. Martin, S. Treviranus, H. S. Palmer, and H. S. Stansfield.

Together, they created more than a dozen murals and large paintings. Sculptors Frances Loring and Florence Wyle also contributed. They made special medallions and carvings of the four apostles.

The 2024 Fire

On the morning of June 9, 2024, a fire started in the church building around 8:00 a.m. The fire was very big, needing many firefighters to put it out by 9:30 a.m. During the fire, the large central dome of the church collapsed. Luckily, no one was hurt.

After the fire, it was announced that the building and all its artworks were "completely destroyed." Both the church's leader, Don Beyers, and the mayor of Toronto, Olivia Chow, said they would work to rebuild St. Anne's.

Gallery

• 

  The painted Byzantine-style ceiling inside the dome

• 

  A plaque designated St. Anne's as a national historic site

• 

  A 1909 postcard of St. Anne's