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St. Mary & St. George Anglican Church facts for kids
| St. Mary & St. George Parish | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 52°52′30″N 118°05′02″W / 52.8750°N 118.0839°W | |
| Location | Jasper, Alberta |
| Country | Canada |
| Denomination | Anglican Church of Canada |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Edmonton |
| Province | Rupert's Land |
The St. Mary & St. George Parish is a beautiful old church in Jasper, a town inside Jasper National Park in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, Canada. It's part of the Anglican Church of Canada and looks like English churches from the 1300s. This style is called Gothic revival, and it's a special part of Canada's history.
Contents
History of the Church
Church services in the Jasper area started in 1909 with missionaries who traveled around. By 1914, a proper church group was formed, and a log church was built. The first Bishop of Edmonton officially opened it on August 2, 1914. A women's group from the Church of England and two main donors helped pay for it.
In 1915, a wooden tower was added to the log church. This tower gave the priest a place to live. The church you see today, designed by architect A.M. Calderon from Edmonton, was built in 1928 using local materials. The Edith Cavell Memorial Tower was added in 1932 to finish the church.
Why Two Names?
The two main people who donated money for the first church building each wanted to name it something different. To make both of them happy, the church was named after both St. Mary and St. George. In 1923, the church officially became a parish, which is a local church community.
A Church from the 1300s?
The design of the current church is based on plans for an English Gothic church from the 14th century (the 1300s). The first stone was laid by the Governor General of Canada, Freeman Freeman-Thomas, Viscount Willingdon, on July 29, 1928.
The church was officially opened on July 28, 1929. The tower took a bit longer to build because its original design was changed. It was finally finished in 1932. The tower is named after Edith Cavell (1865-1915), a brave British nurse who was executed during the First World War.
A Special Historic Place
In 1985, the government of Alberta declared St. Mary & St. George a Historic Resource. This means it's an important building because it shows the 14th-century English Gothic revival style in Canada. It's also the only church still standing that was designed by A.M. Calderon, one of the first architects to work in Edmonton.
Today, this church is a very popular place for weddings in the Rocky Mountains. Many tourists from all over the world visit Jasper each year and come to see this beautiful church.
Royal Visits
In 2005, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, visited the church. They attended a morning service led by Bishop Victoria Matthews. Before that, on May 8, 1945, which was Victory in Europe Day, the Earl of Athlone (who was the governor general at the time) and Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, also attended a special Thanksgiving Service here.
Church Design and Look
The St. Mary & St. George church was designed to look like Gothic churches found in rural England in the 14th century. It's a great example of the Gothic revival style that became popular in Canada starting in the 1800s.
When the church was built, the Anglican Church believed that the way a church looked could help people feel more spiritual. They thought that the design of the building could connect to a person's spiritual experience.
The St. Mary & St. George Parish adopted this style for its beautiful and spiritual qualities. The church was built in 1928. Its main style is Decorated Gothic with some Perpendicular Gothic details. The tower, finished in 1932, follows the Norman Gothic style. This church is one of the few examples of mid-20th century church architecture left in Western Canada. Because of its importance to Jasper's history and Canada's architecture, it was named a provincial historic resource in 1985.
Inside the Church
The church has a central nave (the main part where people sit) that leads to the chancel (the area near the altar). The sanctuary and the choir are in the chancel. The baptistery (where baptisms happen) is at the entrance of the church. Following an old church tradition, the church faces east, with the altar at the east end and the baptistery at the west end.
Beams, trim, and bargeboard over the southwest window
Southwest facade partitioned by exposed wooden trim
Exposed roof beam and wooden trim
Gable on top of window East Facade
South east facade
The symbolic Campanile
The church has many features typical of the Gothic revival style. You'll see double pointed arch windows along the nave, sanctuary, and baptistery. Most of these windows have colorful stained glass from the early 1900s, showing scenes from the New Testament (stories from the Bible). Two stained glass windows from 1992 mix modern art with Christian images. One special window, called "The Galahad window," is based on the Arthurian legend and the quest for the Holy Grail.
New heaven window
Our Lord window
Galahad window: Left to right: Knighting; With Excalibur; Grail's Quest
New heaven window
Knighting of Sir Galahad
St. George Window (detail)
New Earth Window (detail)
You can also see a three-part Tudor arch window in the chancel. The baptistery has a four-centered Tudor arch below three narrow pointed arch windows. The two entrance doors also have four-centered Tudor arches.
Outside the Church
The outside walls of the church are covered with white stucco. The walls near the baptistery have exposed wooden trim, which is typical of 14th-century rural Gothic style. This wooden trim is also seen above the southwest entrance and on the chancel gable. You can see exposed wooden beams and different roof heights, which add to the unique look.
High peaked gables, exposed roof beams, and decorative boards at the roof edges are all features of the rural Gothic Tudor style.
View of Clerestory above Baptistery
Baptistery (at Southwest apse)
The three-pointed arch clerestory windows
Nave towards the chancel
Exposed interior beams
Nave towards baptistery
The lower part of the church, including the basement and the buttresses (supports on the outside walls), is built with large boulders. This creates a cool contrast with the white stucco and wooden parts.
The roof is covered with flat, rectangular shingles. A small bell tower, called a campanile, sits on top of the roof. It's mostly for decoration and symbolism, as it doesn't have a bell. This type of small roof campanile was common in churches built for missionary work.
The Edith Cavell Memorial Tower is in the Norman Gothic style. It has battlements (like a castle wall) and sloping diagonal buttresses.
The church is about 26 meters long and 15 meters wide. The tower is 14 meters tall. The church can seat about 150 people.
See also
- List of historic places in Alberta