St. Paul's Church, Halifax

• Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

• Architect: James Gibbs

• Style: Palladian Georgian

• Completed in: 1750

• Denomination: Anglican

St. Paul's Church in Halifax is located in the open squire Grand Parade in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia. Halifax City Hall stands at the opposite side of the squire. It is the oldest building in Halifax and the oldest existing Anglican church in Canada.

View from Halifax City Hall

St. Paul's Church was constructed in 1750, one year after Halifax was colonized by the British and became the capital of Nova Scotia. The British settlement in this area originally inhabited by the Miꞌkmaq led to Father Le Loutre's War (1749–1755), a conflict between the British against the Mi'kmaq, Acadians, and French forces, fueled by resistance to British expansion. The construction of St. Paul's Church was in the middle of this conflict and long-lasting tension with the Miꞌkmaq (it eventually led to the removal of statue of Edward Cornwallis from the city, who was the first governor of colonial Nova Scotia and who laid the cornerstone of this building.

It was designed by Scottish architect, James Gibbs, a pupil of Sir Christopher Wren, in the Palladian Georgian style, which was a popular style in the colonial era in North America. This church was specifically modelled after Marybone Chapel (now, St Peter, Vere Street) in Westminster, London, by the same architect (it is believed that the then-governor of colonial Nova Scotia, Edward Cornwallis, ordered this very first Anglican church in Canada to be modelled after Marybone Chapel).

Marybone Chapel (now, St Peter, Vere Street) [St Peter, Vere Street by John Salmon, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons]

On the exterior, the Georgian characteristics are showcased in several elements such as Palladian window on the second floor and symmetric façade with pediment and paired chimneys.

Palladian window

Symmetric façade with pediment and paired chimneys

Once inside, at the entrance into the nave from the vestibule of the church, there is a doorway arch to commemorate Nova Scotians who lost their lives during WWI.

Doorway Arch for WWI

Looking towards chancel added to the original church in 1872

Stained glass in the chancel, the oldest stained glass in the church

There is a royal pew which has been used by many royal guests in its history including Prince Edward (father of Queen Victoria).

Pew for royal parishioners only (formerly the governor’s pew)

Looking back towards the entrance

The wing was added to the east and west sides of the church in 1868, therefore St. Paul's Church has two aisles on each side of the nave. This makes the church one of few Anglican churches in the world to have five aisles (including the nave).

Two aisles under each gallery

Reference:

Canada's Historic Places. (n.d.). St. Paul’s Anglican Church National Historic Site of Canada. Retrieved from https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=3065&pid=0

CBC News. (2023, October 6). Halifax’s St. Paul’s Church leans on Anglican reconciliation efforts as it marks 275 years. Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/st-pauls-church-anglican-reconciliation-halifax-1.7322309

St. Paul’s Anglican Church. (n.d.). Welcome to St. Paul’s. Retrieved from https://stpaulshalifax.org/

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). St. Paul’s Church (Halifax, Nova Scotia). In Wikipedia. Retrieved November 16, 2024, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St.Paul%27s_Church(Halifax,_Nova_Scotia)