Holy Cross Cemetery is a cemetery in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The ...

, owned and operated by the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

. It was constructed in 1843 under the direction of Archbishop William Walsh, on land provided by local authorities. Holy Cross Cemetery replaced the first Catholic cemetery in Halifax, the St. Peter's Cemetery located next to St. Mary's Basilica on Spring Garden Road. Since 1843, some 25,000 persons have been buried at Holy Cross, many of Irish descent, including Canada's fourth Prime Minister, Sir

John Sparrow Thompson Sir John Sparrow David Thompson (November 10, 1845 – December 12, 1894) was a Canadian lawyer, judge and politician who served as the fourth prime minister of Canada from 1892 until his death. He had previously been fifth premier of Nova Sc ...

. Our Lady of Sorrows Chapel is said to have been built in one day on Aug. 31, 1843 by 2,000 volunteers, although the foundation and some prefabrication had been done in advance. The chapel's modest design is described as a Nova Scotian expression of Gothic revivalism. The furnishings are sparse and modest but the altar reliefs have received national recognition, and the windows have been described as a nationally significant collection of stained glass. Holy Cross Cemetery served as the primary for Halifax Catholics until 1896, and although interments continued through the twentieth-century the site had fallen into disrepair by 2005. The Holy Cross Cemetery Trust was established in 2006, and a program of restoration and beautification by volunteers has been in progress since 2008, repairing fences, the chapel, and 1800 of the current 2500 gravemarkers.

Notable interments

There are many notable persons buried in the cemetery including: * Sir

, Prime Minister of Canada * Hon. Sir

Edward Kenny Sir Edward Kenny, (1 July 1800 – 16 May 1891) was a Canadian politician and businessman. He co-founded the Union and Merchants' banks and served as Mayor of Halifax. He was a Conservative senator from 1867 to 1876. Early life and busin ...

Thomas Edward Kenny Thomas Edward Kenny (October 12, 1833 – October 25, 1908) was a merchant and political figure in Nova Scotia, Canada. He represented Halifax in the House of Commons of Canada from 1887 to 1896 as a Conservative member. He was born in Hal ...

Charles Robinson (Medal of Honor) Charles Robinson (1840 – 21 April 1896) was a Union Navy sailor in the American Civil War and a recipient of the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions during an expedition on the Yazoo River. Born in 1840 in ...

The cemetery also contains

war graves War is an intense armed conflict between State (polity), states, governments, Society, societies, or paramilitary groups such as Mercenary, mercenaries, Insurgency, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violenc ...

of nine Canadian service personnel, six of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and three of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

References

External links

Holy Cross Historical Trust

Nova Scotia Archives

A snowy tribute to Halifax’s Irish heart
* {{coord, 44.6391, -63.5760, type:landmark_region:CA-NS, display=title Cemeteries in Halifax, Nova Scotia Roman Catholic cemeteries in Canada