St. Pauls Church - Halifax

St. Pauls Church - Halifax

St. Paul’s Church was built in 1750 and is the oldest Protestant church in Canada.  Clearly the raising of a fine church was a priority for Lord Cornwallis in his hasty settlement of Halifax.  The idea was to copy London’s beautiful Marybone Chapel, which was, incidentally, the home church of Lord Halifax.  In effect, Halifax’s St. Paul’s Church was designed by James Gibbs, the famous protégé of Sir Christopher Wren, the architect of St. Martins-in-the-Field, among other world-class edifices. Alas, however, the visual elegance of St. Paul’s in the rough new garrison town was not matched by interior comfort.  The church remained basically unheated (except by the bodies of the faithful and their hounds in attendance) until the end of the 18^th century.  Bishop Inglis observed during his tenure that regular church attendance during the winter months could speed parishioners to an early meeting with their maker.

Original Pen and Ink on archival paper. Double matted and framed to 14” x 16”