St. Mary's Basilica (Halifax)
St. Mary's Basilica, Halifax | |
---|---|
St. Mary's Basilica
|
|
Location | Halifax, Nova Scotia |
Country | Canada |
Denomination | Roman Catholic |
Website | St. Marys Basilica |
History | |
Consecrated | October 19, 1899 |
Architecture | |
Status | Cathedral |
Functional status | Active |
Architectural type | Norman-Gothic |
Specifications | |
Materials | granite |
Administration | |
Archdiocese | Archdiocese of Halifax |
Official name | St. Mary's Basilica National Historic Site of Canada |
Designated | 1997 |
Official name | St. Mary's Basilica |
Type | Provincially Registered Property |
Designated | April 4, 1984 |
Reference no. | 00PNS0025 |
St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica is a Gothic Revival Catholic cathedral located in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the cathedral church of the Archdiocese of Halifax and is the largest Catholic church in the Archdiocese. Consecrated on October 19, 1899, it was made a basilica in 1950 by Pope Pius XII. The St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica boasts the tallest granite spire in North America.
History
The church has been significantly expanded and altered over time. Originally constructed of wood, it was replaced by a stone structure beginning in 1820 inspired (as were many churches of the day) by Saint Martin in the Fields in London.[1] It was expanded to its present size beginning in 1869, according to designs of Patrick Keely who introduced the Gothic Revival facade and spire. Besides the Gothic features, the spire also includes Norman and Germanic design elements.[1]
The facade and spire are notable for being built entirely of granite. All of the stone was locally obtained, except for the three portals which have a jamb shaft of pink Aberdeen granite. The spire has a height of 189 feet (58 m).
The basilica was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1997.[2]
Gallery
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 J. Philip McAleer, A Pictorial History of the Basilica of St. Mary, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Library of Canadian Architecture, Technical University of Nova Scotia, 1984 (unpaginated)
- ↑ St. Mary's Basilica. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to St. Mary's Basilica (Halifax). |
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Commons category link is defined as the pagename
- Churches completed in 1899
- 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings
- Churches in Halifax, Nova Scotia
- Roman Catholic cathedrals in Canada
- Roman Catholic churches in Nova Scotia
- Gothic Revival architecture in Halifax, Nova Scotia
- Gothic Revival churches in Canada
- Basilica churches in Canada