Christ Church, His Majesty's Chapel Royal of the Mohawk is located on the
Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory
Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory is the main First Nation reserve of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte First Nation. The territory is located in Ontario east of Belleville on the Bay of Quinte. Tyendinaga is located near the site of the former Mohaw ...
near
Deseronto, Ontario
Deseronto is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, in Hastings County, located at the mouth of the Napanee River on the shore of the Bay of Quinte, on the northern side of Lake Ontario.
The town was named for Captain John Deseronto, a nat ...
, Canada. It is owned by the
Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte First Nation
The Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte (MBQ) (Mohawk: ''Kenhtè:ke Kanyen'kehà:ka'' ) are a Mohawk First Nation within Hastings County, Ontario. They control the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, which is a Mohawk Indian reserve on the Bay of Quinte in s ...
and is associated with the Anglican Parish of Tyendinaga,
Diocese of Ontario
The Diocese of Ontario is a diocese of the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario of the Anglican Church of Canada, itself a province of the Anglican Communion. Its See city is Kingston, Ontario, and its cathedral is St. George's, Kingston. The dioc ...
. It was designated as a
National Historic Site in 1995 and is one of only three
Chapels Royal in Canada, elevated by
the Queen
In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to:
* Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death
The Queen may also refer to:
* Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...
in 2004.
History
The history of the chapel begins with the forced relocation by American revolutionaries of the Tyendinaga Mohawks from their indigenous lands in what is now upper
New York State to lands provided by
George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...
in recognition to their service to the British during the revolutionary war. They settled in land that would eventually become the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory on the shores of the
Bay of Quinte
The Bay of Quinte () is a long, narrow bay shaped like the letter "Z" on the northern shore of Lake Ontario in the province of Ontario, Canada. It is just west of the head of the Saint Lawrence River that drains the Great Lakes into the Gulf of ...
in 1784.
The Royal chapel is in regular use as a parish church of the
Anglican Diocese of Ontario
The Diocese of Ontario is a diocese of the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario of the Anglican Church of Canada, itself a province of the Anglican Communion. Its episcopal see, See city is Kingston, Ontario, and its cathedral is St. George's Cathe ...
. While not housed in the chapel, on special occasions, a silver
Communion set given by
Queen Anne in 1711 as a symbol of the alliance between the Crown and the Mohawks, is displayed and used. Also, there is a triptych in the Mohawk language and a bell given by
George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...
, a Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom given by
George V
George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936.
Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...
, and a bible given by
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...
.
Present day
A communion chalice was given by
Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
in 1984 to mark the bicentennial of the coming of the United Empire Loyalists, including the Mohawks, to Ontario. In addition,
Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
also presented a set of eight silver handbells to the Chapel Royal in 2010. The chapel also houses a memorial window given by Dr.
Oronhyatekha, who is buried at the Royal chapel.
Plaques commemorating the service of Mohawks during the
First
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
and
Second World Wars hang in the chapel, demonstrating the continuing bond between the Tyendinaga Mohawks and the Crown.
The Chapel Royal has undergone major restoration work in recent years. A Roman Catholic group associated with the
Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter
The Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter is a special Catholic diocese for Anglican and Methodist converts in the United States and Canada. It allows these parishioners to maintain elements of Anglican liturgy and tradition in thei ...
celebrates there regularly, at the invitation of the Mohawk leadership.
Style
Built to symbolise the political and military alliance between the
British Crown and the
Mohawk people, and to house a number of gifts given to the Mohawks by the
Royal Family over three centuries, it was built by the Mohawks themselves in a simplified
Gothic Revival style in 1843. The new church replaced a wooden structure which had been built near the site when the Mohawks arrived in 1784. The style, popular in the mid 19th century, is demonstrated in the narrow
lancet windows and dripstones, stepped piers on the tower and flanks of the nave, and
crenellation
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interva ...
s and pinnacles on the spire, all contributing to an overall sense of verticality common to gothic architecture.
Image:cctablet.jpg, The tablet inscribed above the entrance to the church.
Image:ccchurchinterior.jpg, The interior of the church.
Image:cctriptych.jpg, The Triptych given by King George III containing the creed, the Ten Commandments, and the 'Our Father' in the Mohawk Language.
Image:ccroyalarms.jpg, The Royal Coat of Arms given by King George V to replace an earlier set which were lost in a fire. These arms hang above the west door.
Image:ccaltarwindow.jpg, The memorial window given by Dr. Oronhyateka.
Image:ccbible.jpg, The Bible given to the Mohawks by Queen Victoria.
Image:ccbibleinscription.jpg, This is the note written in the front of the Bible.
See also
*
The Canadian Crown and Indigenous peoples of Canada
The association between the Canadian Crown and Indigenous peoples in Canada stretches back to the first decisions between North American Indigenous peoples and European colonialists and, over centuries of interface, treaties were established c ...
References
External links
Christ Church webpageParish of Tyendinaga websiteParks Canada website - Christ Church
{{Coord, 44.18555, -77.07341, display=title
Anglican church buildings in Ontario
Royal chapels in Canada
National Historic Sites in Ontario
Tourist attractions in Hastings County
Churches on the National Historic Sites of Canada register
Churches completed in 1843
19th-century Anglican church buildings in Canada
Religious organizations established in 1784
1784 establishments in the British Empire
Gothic Revival church buildings in Canada