St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church was the work of the well known Island architect William Critchlow Harris, the master of "Island" Gothic Revival. Seating 1200, this large church is the major landmark in the town of Souris, being by far the largest in town and one of the largest on Prince Edward Island. Harris' use of brown Island freestone to complement the red sandstone throughout the exterior was a masterful touch.
Though Harris also designed the interior of the 1901 building, it was completely destroyed in a 1928 fire, leaving only the sandstone exterior standing. The church was completely rebuilt within Harris' walls, the designer this time being John Marshall Hunter. I'm sure the Hunter designed interior is every bit as beautiful as was the Harris designed interior.
Inside one will find much stained glass; I believe there were something like fifteen stained glass windows in the nave. Intricate scrollwork covers the vaulted ceiling and the ceilings of the aisles,
as well as the arches between the pillars running the length of the nave. Here and there are religious figures liberally sprinkled throughout.
In the balcony of the nave is a Casavant Frères Ltée. pipe organ,
Opus 2826, installed circa 1965. It was built with two manuals, 19 stops and 27 ranks. It also has electro-pneumatic chests.
The congregation also lost its first church, constructed in 1838, to fire in 1849. A new church was quickly built and remained in service until the construction of this magnificent building in 1901-01.
St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church
DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church is a large Gothic Revival church built in cruciform shape with a medium pitched roof. The exterior walls are constructed almost entirely of Prince Edward Island sandstone. The church is located on the north side of the Town of Souris overlooking the Souris River.
HERITAGE VALUE
St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church is valued for its construction using Island sandstone, combined with its original design, which serves as an exceptional example of Gothic Revival style. William Critchlow Harris, who is noted for his work in other island communities, was the architect for this magnificent structure. A fixture of the community, St Mary's Church is located on an elevation just north of the main town, and serves as a beacon to parishioners as well as to anyone with an appreciation for beautiful architectural design.
The first Roman Catholic church in Souris was constructed in 1838 by Thomas Stone and Michael Bagley. Parishioners were involved by clearing the building site and surrounding land of trees in preparation for construction. This church and adjacent parochial house were lost to fire in 1849. A second church was constructed that same year by Ronald Ban MacDonald, with the building of a new parochial house by Rev. James Phelan to follow in 1862.
In 1901, in order to accommodate a growing congregation, the construction of a new, larger church was commissioned. Harris was hired to oversee this task, along with local contractors James MacEachern and Edward Duffy, as well as Bernard Creamer. The original walls were built of sandstone quarried from the nearby community of Chepstow. Construction was completed in 1902, with a resulting marvel of architectural design. The first mass to be held in this new church was lead by Rev. Ronald B. MacDonald. Sadly, in 1928 a fire caused by a faulty flue destroyed the church's interior. All that remained were the original sandstone walls, and it was around these walls that architect John Marshall Hunter (1881-1942), rebuilt the church as a monument to Harris' original work. The interior was extensively renovated during the 1950s, by Monsignor J.A. Murphy.
St. Mary's Church boasts numerous architectural feats including its characteristic asymmetrical towers. The larger west corner tower was originally topped with a wooden spire which perished in the 1928 fire. This was replaced during the rebuilding by a copper neo-baroque cap. The façade of the church features Nova Scotia free stone decoratively placed around triple Gothic front windows, above similar gothic style doors. Free stone is also used in the upper portions of each tower as decorative alternation from the sandstone. The overall cruciform shape is formed by parallel side chapels on the east and west portions of the building. This massive structure can hold up to 1200 people.
The church remains in use by the local parish and is a prominent landmark within the community of Souris.
CHARACTER-DEFINING ELEMENTS
- the overall massing of the building
- the sandstone construction
- the cruciform shape
- the corner (west) tower with Neo-Baroque cap
- the triple gothic windows trimmed in free stone
- the side chapels featuring triple gothic windows
- the lower east tower topped by conical cap
- the medium pitched roof
- the buttresses along side elevations
- the wood paneled front doors
From Historic Places Canada