The quilt panel is a highly stylized representation of the church itself. It is one of at least 49 on Prince Edward Island's
Arts and Heritage Trail sprinkled from one end of the Island to the other.
St. Mary’s was designated a Province of Prince Edward Island Heritage Place in November, 11, 2011. No longer a Catholic Church, it was decommissioned by the Roman Catholic diocese in September 2009 and purchased by the Indian River Festival in 2010. On the opening of the 2011 Indian River Festival a certificate and provincial heritage plaque were presented, making its status official.
This is the third Roman Catholic church to occupy this site, the first being in use from 1814 until being torn down to make room for a larger one in 1843. That church existed until August 4, 1896, when it fell victim to lightning and burned.
Another of the works of noted Island architect William Critchlow Harris, this $20,000 church was purposely built to impress. In about 1900, when it came time to replace the burned church, the pastor, Rev. Monsignor D.J. Gillis, asked Harris to "build it like
Kinkora's church, only bigger and better!" This Harris accomplished masterfully, creating a magnificent piece of eye candy for the congregation.
Clad in scalloped shingles above and straight cut shingles below, the French Gothic style building is set off by a tall round tower at one corner. Around the base of the tall conical spire are a series of twelve small gablets, each above a niche housing one of the twelve apostles. Each corner of the transept is capped with a small tower, while yet another tower rises from the centre of the transcept. Overall, this is one of Harris' finest works and is, fortunately for all concerned, being extremely well maintained (probably at great cost).
Since 1996 the church has been host to the
Indian River Festival, a festival of classical music which takes advantage of the great natural acoustics of the Harris design. The 2015 festival will be the 20th one held.
St. Mary's Church, a fine example of the French Gothic influence, was built in 1902 by Island architect, William Critchlow Harris. The Harris trademark, a rib-vaulted or groined ceiling, enhances the quality of sound and archives this with the use of fir, pine, spruce, maple, and birch throughout the building.
Today, St. Mary's remains the architectural and acoustical treasure that William Harris envisioned; the perfect setting for voice and instruments to celebrate wonderful music. It has been said that the natural acoustics of St. Mary's rates as one of the top ten places to perform in the world.
Since 1996, the Indian River Festival has arranged for some of the best classical musicians in North America and Europe to perform at St. Mary's.
From the Indian River Festival
Quilt Boards of PEI
Indian River Festival
The Indian River Festival offers a summer long series of concerts in a magnificent heritage church set within sight of beautiful Malpeque Bay. Discover excellence in classical, jazz, Maritime, world and contemporary music by the finest artists from Prince Edward Island and across Canada, all in the world class acoustical setting of St. Mary’s Church, Indian River.Seasonal: June – September.
One of a kind quilt board icons have been developed by some participants in the Arts and Heritage Trail to add an “Art Identifier” to their property. These Quilt Boards have been created in collaboration with the artisans or operators as fun, pleasing visuals. They add another layer of Art to the PEI landscape and our culture.
Quilt Board trails are found in 22 states and 4 other provinces. Each trail has a specific purpose and art model. On PEI the purpose of quilt boards is to raise the profiles of the participating arts and cultural partners.
In June of this year the first Arts and Heritage Trail Quilt Board Car Rally was held with teams participating in separate routes along each coastal drive.
We hope you enjoy our quilt board art and the Arts and Heritage Trail.
Every property has a Quick Response (QR) Code sign that will take your smartphone back to this website for more information about the related cultural attraction.
From the Arts and Heritage Trail