The Great Canadian churches thread

[SignalHillHiker]

Originally Posted by jeremy_haak

Yeah, me too. While the colours in Notre Dame are breathtaking, the overall effect seems to be slightly gloomy, like a moonlit night or something. The brighter and lighter interior seems much more pleasant to me.

I love them both. The atmosphere is so different.

You can tell a lot about a community that way. The Anglican Cathedral here, for example, is exquisite but the overall view is quite modest. Everything is simple, but the very best available at the time - like a plain white bowl made my some famous designer that costs thousands.

The Basilica, on the other hand, is like nouveau riche. Almost every possible surface is ornately decorated. The landmark pieces are all proudly displayed almost to the point of impeding function. Every possible thing is sourced from Ireland. It's like a over-done girl who actually is beautiful underneath the caked on make-up.

So it's not hard to guess which community was upper class, comprised of merchants, whose children were sent back to England for schooling, etc. And which community had only recently won the right to practice its faith, was constantly rebelling against whatever the leadership of the day happened to be, only recently could afford to build much of anything, etc.

Even the location of the two on the hillside shows the quiet confidence of one, and the anxious, optimistic longing of the other.

As for Montreal - not sure why its churches are so exceptionally well done. French pride against the Anglo onslaught, perhaps?

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

I love them both. The atmosphere is so different.

You can tell a lot about a community that way. The Anglican Cathedral here, for example, is exquisite but the overall view is quite modest. Everything is simple, but the very best available at the time - like a plain white bowl made my some famous designer that costs thousands.

The Basilica, on the other hand, is like nouveau riche. Almost every possible surface is ornately decorated. The landmark pieces are all proudly displayed almost to the point of impeding function. Every possible thing is sourced from Ireland. It's like a over-done girl who actually is beautiful underneath the caked on make-up.

So it's not hard to guess which community was upper class, comprised of merchants, whose children were sent back to England for schooling, etc. And which community had only recently won the right to practice its faith, was constantly rebelling against whatever the leadership of the day happened to be, only recently could afford to build much of anything, etc.

Even the location of the two on the hillside shows the quiet confidence of one, and the anxious, optimistic longing of the other.

As for Montreal - not sure why its churches are so exceptionally well done. French pride against the Anglo onslaught, perhaps?

Rather than some English / French thing, I'd suspect it reflects the position of the Church in French Canadian society of the time and the lingering influence of counter-reformation thinking in a rather remote colonial outpost.

[O-tacular]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

Surprised no Ontarian has posted this one yet.

Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception in Guelph:

Such a beautiful structure and then your eyes fall to the fugly parking lot. Not even a garden buffering it. Sinful.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by Martin Mtl

Very average.

It could maybe pass as average for the Townships, but that style (which I personally like) isn't very common in the province.

(You'll note I didn't even bother posting Sherbrooke's cathedral or any of the other various old churches.)

It's also one of Sherbrooke's oldest buildings. 1850s and earlier are pretty rare. There was nothing in 1800 there.

[O-tacular]

Originally Posted by lio45

Laval's Eddy Savoie Temple:

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by lio45

Meh, these churches are paid for by Alberta transfer payments... only reason they're still standing.

[MolsonExport]

Hands down, the best new thread in the SSP Canada sub forum in a long, long time.

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by O-tacular

Such a beautiful structure and then your eyes fall to the fugly parking lot. Not even a garden buffering it. Sinful.

Function over form. The faithful need to park. But to be fair, that is the side and rear of the building. The approach from the front looks nice.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.54370...2!8i6656?hl=en

[urbandreamer]

[FrAnKs]

Originally Posted by O-tacular

I see peoples laughing of my hometown, everywhere, anytime... And to this...







I applause !

[MonctonRad]

Lot's of examples of awe inspiring churches, cathedrals and basilica's from throughout Canada (including right here in Moncton).

I thought I would broaden the discussion however to include evangelical style suburban megachurches.

Here's a golden example from here in Moncton:

Moncton Wesleyan Church:




Certainly not an example of high minded ecclesiastical architecture, and the sanctuary looks damned near industrial. I'm not a fan, but this is probably the largest and most active church in the entire city. It's very American in style, with the "pastors" being in a sort of family business (father handed down to son), and they are very aggressive in seeking donations and tithing. I fail to see the attraction, but they are very successful anyway.

I'm sure there are lots of examples from elsewhere in the country.

Thoughts anyone???

[Acajack]

Lots of awesome stuff on here. Guelph is the biggest revelation for me so far.

[esquire]

Not quite on point with MonctonRad's post, but on a somewhat similar theme, here is Winnipeg's newest Catholic church, St. Gianna's.

It opened in 2014 at a cost of $14 million. This is perhaps Winnipeg's first "big box" Catholic church; it is located in the heart of upper middle class suburbia, right by a power centre across the street from Costco and follows the typical light industrial park style of design where the front is barely discernible and it's surrounded by parking lot.

I find the classic styles of churches to be uplifting and inspiring, while this is just drab. If the Guelph church evokes heaven, this evokes... I don't know... purgatory?


source: stgianna.ca

[KnoxfordGuy]

Originally Posted by CountryMike

Speaking of the Notre-Dame Basicilia in Montreal, the Place d'Armes in front of the church has got to be the nicest square/plaza out of any city in Canada. Great architecture all around the place. Maybe that could be a good thread to start "Great Canadian Squares and Plazas."

I 110% agree with you. So beautiful and the fact that it has different types of Canadian architecture spanning almost two hundred years.

[LeTravailleur]

A bit of love for Montreal's North Shore!

Église Saint-Louis-De-France, Terrebonne

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrebonne,_Quebec


Église Saint-Henri-De-Mascouche, Mascouche

http://www.patrimoine-culturel.gouv....n#.VvlI377hCUk


Église Sainte-Thérèse-De-Blainville, Sainte-Thérèse

http://www.originis.ca/paroisse_sain...se_davila.html


Laval also has some pretty nice churches, as previously seen in this thread (but only the older ones).

[KnoxfordGuy]

Christ Church Cathedral Fredericton. constructed from 1847 to 1853

from me:




from Fredericton Tourism:


By Hamdy Ghanem on Flickr


Christ Church and its surroundings by Fredericton Tourism:




Trinity Church in Saint John. I love the location of this church. Build Circa 1877.





By J Hikka on Flickr:


Google Street View:

[SignalHillHiker]

Whoa. Trinity is a new fave. Love that setting as well.

[O-tacular]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Lot's of examples of awe inspiring churches, cathedrals and basilica's from throughout Canada (including right here in Moncton).

I thought I would broaden the discussion however to include evangelical style suburban megachurches.

Here's a golden example from here in Moncton:

Moncton Wesleyan Church:




Certainly not an example of high minded ecclesiastical architecture, and the sanctuary looks damned near industrial. I'm not a fan, but this is probably the largest and most active church in the entire city. It's very American in style, with the "pastors" being in a sort of family business (father handed down to son), and they are very aggressive in seeking donations and tithing. I fail to see the attraction, but they are very successful anyway.

I'm sure there are lots of examples from elsewhere in the country.

Thoughts anyone???

First Alliance has a new mega church building in the city's far south that would qualify. It's actually quite beautiful inside with a massive soaring atrium in the front and giant cedar beams supporting the ceiling. It has many wealthy and influential parishioners including Preston Manning.

[MolsonExport]

Trinity...what a beauty.

Montreal's breadth, depth and quantity of Churches is just peerless. Perhaps even as far as the continent is concerned (well, USA/Canada, as I wouldn't want to speak for Mexico), aside from perhaps New York City? New York obviously has a wonderful wealth of great churches/synagogues, etc.

Sure beats this sort of apocalyptic dreck:

nesncom

[O-tacular]

Here's another Ukrainian Orthodox Church that overlooks downtown from the hill beside Bridgeland.

Church of St. Vladimir




A point of interest for anyone out east who is used to seeing oxidized copper roofing is that Calgary is so dry that metal does not oxidize the same here. From the bit of research I did on it with Google it sounds like the church is from around 1938.