St. George's Anglican Church is a heritage church located in the city's

downtown core The Downtown Core is the historical and downtown centre of the city-state of Singapore and the main commercial area in Singapore excluding reclaimed lands with two integrated resorts such as the Marina Bay Sands, one of the most expensive buil ...

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, Canada. The church is on Stanley Street on the corner of

De la Gauchetière Street De la Gauchetiere Street (officially in ) is a street in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, running through downtown Montreal, the International District and Chinatown. In Chinatown, it takes the form of a pedestrian zone, between Saint Laurent Boulevar ...

, although it also faces Peel Street and is opposite

Place du Canada Place du Canada (part of Dominion Square until 1967) is a large urban square in downtown Montreal. Overview At it is slightly larger than the adjacent Dorchester Square, with a more varied topography due to a downward slope towards De la Ga ...

. The church is named for

Saint George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the ...

, the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. St. George's Anglican Church was designated as a

National Historic Site of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada () are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being of national historic significance. Parks C ...

in 1990.

History

The original St. George's Church opened on June 30, 1843, and was on

Notre-Dame Street Notre-Dame Street (officially in ) is a historic east–west street located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It runs parallel to the Saint Lawrence River, from Lachine, Quebec, Lachine to the eastern tip of the Island of Montreal, island in Poi ...

(then Saint Joseph Street) and Saint David's Lane, just outside the city of Montreal's walls. It was the second Anglican congregation in Montreal and was built to accommodate the overflow of parishioners from Christ Church Cathedral. An organ built by Samuel Russell Warren was installed later that year. The congregation of St. George's continued to grow as the city expanded to the west. A plot of land at the corner of Peel Street and De la Gauchetière Street was chosen as the site of the current church. This piece of land had been a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

cemetery from 1775 to 1854. St. George's was designed by Montreal architect

William Tutin Thomas William Tutin Thomas (1829–1892) was a Canadian architect. Life and career Born in Birmingham, England, he was the son of architect William Thomas. He worked for a few years with his father, and also with his brother, Cyrus. His father emigrat ...

, constructed in 1869, and opened its doors on October 9, 1870. The only furnishing retained from the old church was the

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...

. The old church would serve as a factory for organ-maker Samuel Russell Warren. The parishioners of St. Jude Church (corner of Coursol Street and Vinet Street in

Little Burgundy Little Burgundy (, ) is a neighbourhood in the Le Sud-Ouest, South West Boroughs of Montreal, borough of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Geography Its approximate boundaries are Atwater Avenue to the west, Saint Antoine Street, Saint-An ...

) and Church of the Advent (corner

De Maisonneuve Boulevard De Maisonneuve Boulevard (officially in ) is a major westbound boulevard located in downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is named after the founder of Montreal, Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve. It is a one-way street westbound. De Maisonneuve ...

and Wood Avenue in

Westmount Westmount () is a city on the Island of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is an enclave of the city of Montreal, with a population of 19,658 as of the 2021 Canadian census. Westmount is home to schools, an arena, a pool, a public li ...

) joined those of St. George's following their churches' closures.

Architecture

The church serves as an example of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

Gothic Revival architecture Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

, and was very heavily inspired by 13th-century religious architecture in medieval England. A few of these features include the use of pointed arches and pinnacles. The

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...

was completed in 1894 and designed by Montreal architect Alexander Francis Dunlop. The exterior was constructed in carved

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

with

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

windows, and the interior is devoid of any pillars, and features traditional English woodwork inside the chapel. The church is also notable for its ceiling beams, which are among the largest in the world.Parcs Canada, Montréal, une ville d'histoire, 2004, p.65 The exposed double-beam hammer roof is second in the world only to the

Westminster Hall Westminster Hall is a medieval great hall which is part of the Palace of Westminster in London, England. It was erected in 1097 for William II (William Rufus), at which point it was the largest hall in Europe. The building has had various functio ...

in span. The tapestry originates from

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, where it was used during the

coronation A coronation ceremony marks the formal investiture of a monarch with regal power using a crown. In addition to the crowning, this ceremony may include the presentation of other items of regalia, and other rituals such as the taking of special v ...

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

. The interior features dark wood paneling. The three-light congregational war memorial window by

Charles William Kelsey Charles William Kelsey (1877–1975) was a Canadian artist best known for his stained glass work. He was born in 1877 in England. He trained in England. He emigrated to Montreal, Quebec, in 1922. He designed and painted stained glass windows with ...

depicts angels holding shields representing the Navy, Army, and Air Force. Below the Army panel is written "He will swallow up death in victory and the Lord God will wipe away all tears from all faces, Isaiah 25:8." Below the Air Force Panel is written "Out of weakness made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens, Hebrews II:34". Below the Navy Panel is written "They that go down to the sea in ships, these see the works of the Lord and His wonders of the deep, Psalm 107:23".

References

External links

St. George's Anglican Church, Montreal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint George's Anglican Church, Montreal George's Anglican Church George's Anglican Church (Montreal) George's Anglican Church (Montreal) 19th-century Anglican church buildings in Canada Gothic Revival architecture in Montreal National Historic Sites in Quebec Downtown Montreal George's Anglican Church (Montreal) William Tutin Thomas buildings Gothic Revival church buildings in Canada 1870 establishments in Quebec