St. John's Anglican Church was the first church established in

Lunenburg, Nova Scotia Lunenburg is a port town on the South Shore of Nova Scotia, Canada. Founded in 1753, the town was one of the first British attempts to settle Protestants in Nova Scotia. The economy was traditionally based on the offshore fishery and today ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

(1753). It is the second

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

built in Nova Scotia, and is the second oldest continuous Protestant church in present-day Canada. Early on 1 November 2001, St. John's church suffered significant damage by fire. It was restored and re-dedicated June 12, 2005. The early congregation was mainly Foreign Protestants, including Lutheran Germans. The first missionary was sent by the

Society for the Propagation of the Gospel United Society Partners in the Gospel (USPG) is a United Kingdom-based charitable organization (registered charity no. 234518). It was first incorporated under Royal Charter in 1701 as the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Part ...

was the Rev. Jean-Baptiste Moreau (clergyman) (who is buried in the

crypt A crypt (from Latin ''crypta'' "vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics. Originally, crypts were typically found below the main apse of a chur ...

below the church).

Dettlieb Christopher Jessen Dettlieb Christopher Jessen (February 25, 1730 – August 12, 1814) was one of the founding fathers of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, and helped the village through Father Le Loutre's War, the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. He ...

donated a church bell that is displayed on the church grounds. (Jessen had the bell made by the

Whitechapel Bell Foundry The Whitechapel Bell Foundry was a business in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. At the time of the closure of its Whitechapel premises, it was the oldest manufacturing company in Great Britain. The bell foundry primarily made church bells ...

in London, the same company that made

Big Ben Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the Great Clock of Westminster, at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, England, and the name is frequently extended to refer also to the clock and the clock tower. The officia ...

and the

Liberty Bell The Liberty Bell, previously called the State House Bell or Old State House Bell, is an iconic symbol of American independence, located in Philadelphia. Originally placed in the steeple of the Pennsylvania State House (now renamed Independence ...

.) Jessen also donated a silver Paten and Chalice to the church (1814). Bells in the tower were given by Lt. Col.

Charles Edwin Kaulbach Charles Edwin Kaulbach (July 13, 1834 – May 25, 1907) was a merchant, ship owner and political figure in Nova Scotia, Canada. He represented Lunenburg in the House of Commons of Canada from 1878 to 1882, from 1883 to 1887 and from 1891 to ...

(1902). Rev. Roger Aitken completed the

rectory A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage. Function A clergy house is typically ow ...

for the church on Townsend Street (c.1816). The stone monument to John Creighton Sr. in the church was created by

John Bacon (1777–1859) John Bacon (1777–1859), also known as John Bacon the Younger, or Junior, to distinguish him from his equally famous John Bacon (sculptor, born 1740), father, was an English sculptor. Biography Bacon was the second son of the sculptor John Bac ...

, a nineteenth century sculptor. He created six monuments in St. Paul's Cathedral and many in

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

. The church remains a vibrant spiritual centre within the community and beyond. It is part of the

Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island The Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island is a diocese of the Ecclesiastical Province of Canada of the Anglican Church of Canada. It encompasses the provinces of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island and has two cathedrals: All Saints' ...

in the

Anglican Church of Canada The Anglican Church of Canada (ACC or ACoC) is the Ecclesiastical province#Anglican Communion, province of the Anglican Communion in Canada. The official French-language name is ''l'Église anglicane du Canada''. In 2017, the Anglican Church co ...

. The parish welcomed their first female rector, the Rev. Dr. Laura Marie Piotrowicz, in January 2019.

Church building

St. John's Church was built during the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

, using the wood salvaged from an older disassembled church building. When

King's Chapel King's Chapel is an American independent Christian unitarian congregation affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association that is "unitarian Christian in theology, Anglican in worship, and congregational in governance." It is housed ...

in Boston, Massachusetts, was expanded, its new stone structure was built around its original wooden church, which continued to be used. Then, when that new stone building was completed in 1754, King's Chapel's old wooden frame was disassembled from inside, removed through the new building's windows, and shipped to Lunenburg. Early on 1 November 2001, St. John's church suffered significant damage by fire. It was restored and re-dedicated June 12, 2005. During reconstruction a mystery emerged concerning numerous stars painted within the Church, and which subsequently garnered the interest of international media and astronomers, as the remarkable star scene over the apse may convey the night-sky on the first Christmas (some 2 millennia ago) as seen from Lunenburg. In 2005, the church contributed wood from a salvaged pew to the

Six String Nation Six String Nation is public art and history project conceived by Jowi Taylor and centred around a steel-string acoustic guitar built from a variety of artifacts collected by Taylor representing diverse cultures, communities, characters and eve ...

project. Parts of that material serve multiple functions within ''Voyageur'', the guitar at the heart of the project, including a back brace, a reinforcing strip and kerfing, all on the interior of the instrument.

Crypt

There are 18 people buried in the crypt. 7 people are under age 17. The notable interments include:

Founders of Lunenburg

, (d. 1814), fought in the

Raid on Lunenburg (1782) The Raid on Lunenburg (also known as the Sack of Lunenburg) occurred during the American Revolution when the US privateer, Captain Noah Stoddard of Fairhaven, Massachusetts, and four other privateer vessels attacked the British settlement at Lu ...

, donated church bell and silver chalice; wife of Jessen, Francisca Barbara (Rudolf) Jessen (d. 1807) * John Creighton Sr. (d. 1806), fought in the

* Hon.

Sebastian Zouberbuhler Sebastian Zouberbuhler ( – January 31, 1773) was one of the founding fathers of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. Biography Believed to have been born in Switzerland, he worked as an agent for Samuel Waldo, who speculated in land, in South Carolina a ...

, (d.1773), fought in the

Siege of Louisbourg (1745) The siege of Louisbourg took place in 1745 when a New England colonial force aided by a British fleet captured Louisbourg, the capital of the French province of Île-Royale (present-day Cape Breton Island) during the War of the Austrian Suc ...

; became first of 3 Justice of the Peace in Lunenburg along with John Creighton and

Patrick Sutherland Major Patrick Sutherland served as commander at Fort Edward and then became one of the founding fathers of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. He remained in command at Lunenburg until his death 15 years after establishing the town (c. 1768). He helped the ...

. * Rev. Jean-Baptiste Moreau (clergyman) (d.1770), 1st minister

Others

* Rev.

Paulus Bryzelius Paulus is the original Latin form of the English name Paul. It may refer to: Ancient Roman * Paul (jurist) or Julius Paulus (fl. 222–235 AD), Roman jurist * Paulus (consul 496), politician of the Eastern Roman Empire * Paulus (consul 512), ...

(d. 1773), minister * Rev.

Thomas Shreve Thomas Shreve (2 January 1755, New York - 21 August 1816, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia) was an 18th century Anglican minister. Biography Thomas Shreve was born on January 2nd, 1755. He studied at Anglican ministry at King's College. A loyalist durin ...

(d. 1816), minister; soldier during the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

* John Creighton Jr. (d. 1826) * Honorable Francis Joseph Rudolf (d. 1823) * son of Rev. Peter de la Roche, William (age 1, d. 1776) * Miss Margaret Cheyne (1748-1821)

Ministers (1753-1852)

Roger Aitken, Old Burying Ground, Halifax, Nova Scotia

* Rev.

Jean-Baptiste Moreau Jean-Baptiste Moreau (c.1656 – 24 August 1733) was a French composer of the baroque period. He served as the master of music at the court of Louis XIV. His compositional output includes several motets and music for the theatre. Life and care ...

(1753-1770); *Rev. Robert Vincent (clergyman) (1762-1765) * Rev.

(1768-1773) * Rev. Peter de la Roche (1771-1787), signed ransom agreement with American privateers in the

and became first Anglican minister at

Guysborough, Nova Scotia Guysborough, officially named the Municipality of the District of Guysborough, is a district municipality in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia, Canada. Statistics Canada classifies the district municipality as a municipal district. It is home to ...

. * Rev. Richard Money (1787-1803) * Rev. Thomas Shreve (1804-1816) * Rev. Roger Aitken (1817-1825) * Rev.

James Cuppaidge Cochran James Cuppaidge Cochran (1798–1880) was an Anglican priest and editor in Lunenburg and Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was a minister at St. John's Anglican Church (Lunenburg) (1825-1852). He also published both the ''Colonial Churchman'' (1835-1840) ...

(1825-1852), who supported the establishment of the

Halifax School for the Deaf The Halifax School for the Deaf (The Deaf and Dumb Institution, Halifax) was an institution in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, which opened on 4 August 1856. It was the first school of the deaf in Atlantic Canada. (The Halifax School for the Bl ...

Gallery

File:John Creighton Sr., St. John's Anglican Church, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.jpg, John Creighton Sr. monument by John Bacon,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

File:John Creighton Plaque, d. 1828, St. John's Anglican Church, Chester, Nova Scotia.jpg, Plaque to John Creighton Jr. and his son John Creighton File:Michael Francklin's Bible, St. John's Anglican Church, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.jpg, Governor

Michael Francklin Michael Francklin or Franklin (6 December 1733 – 8 November 1782) served as Nova Scotia's Lieutenant Governor from 1766 to 1772. He is buried in the crypt of St. Paul's Church (Halifax). Early life and immigration Born in Poole, Engla ...

's Bible (1765); originally owned by Rev. Robert Vincent, second minister of St. John's (.c. 1761) File:The Jessen Bell, St. John's Anglican Church, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.jpg, The Jessen Bell (1814) File:Communion Silver, St. John's Anglican Church, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada.jpg, Jessen gave St. John's the silver

chalice A chalice (from Latin 'mug', borrowed from Ancient Greek () 'cup') or goblet is a footed cup intended to hold a drink. In religious practice, a chalice is often used for drinking during a ceremony or may carry a certain symbolic meaning. Re ...

flagon A flagon () is a large leather, metal, glass, plastic or ceramic vessel, used for drink, whether this be water, ale, or another liquid. A flagon is typically of about in volume, and it has either a handle (when strictly it is a jug), or (more ...

, and

paten A paten or diskos is a small plate, used during the Mass. It is generally used during the liturgy itself, while the reserved sacrament are stored in the tabernacle in a ciborium. Western usage In many Western liturgical denominations, the p ...

(1814) File:Francis Rudolf, The Crypt, St. John's Anglican Church, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.jpg, Francis Rudolf, The Crypt File:Rev. Thomas Shreve, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.jpg, Rev.

File:Rectory, St. John's Anglican Church, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.jpg, Rectory, St. John's Anglican Church, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia (c 1816)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint John's Anglican Church, Lunenberg History of Nova Scotia Anglican church buildings in Nova Scotia National Historic Sites in Nova Scotia Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia Buildings and structures in Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia 1754 establishments in Nova Scotia 18th-century Anglican church buildings in Canada