In 1784, the repeal of certain penal laws forbidding Catholic worship and land ownership enabled a group of Irish Catholics to buy land on what is now the corner of Spring Garden Road and Barrington Street. They commenced construction of the first Catholic Church in Halifax which was named Saint Peter’s.
Saint Peter's Church
In 1801, an Irish priest, Father Edmund Burke, Vicar General and superior of missions for the Diocese of Quebec, was appointed to serve the growing congregation of Saint Peter’s Church. Father Burke quickly realized that Saint Peter’s could no longer accommodate the growing numbers of parishioners.
To Build a Cathedral
In 1820 construction began on what was to become the second Catholic cathedral in Canada. In 1833, the church was re-named “Saint Mary’s”. Prior to it’s construction, Halifax boasted only two masonry buildings - Government House and the Admiral’s House. Even the stone citadel was not constructed until 1829.
Like the Hull of a Ship
Saint Mary’s Cathedral was built of local ironstone with a sandstone façade. It resembled cathedrals in Ireland with arched windows and doorways of the Gothic style coupled with pillars of the Georgian style architecture, and galleries on the east and west sides. When the cathedral was under construction no local craftsman had fashioned a roof of such immense size in Halifax, and therefore shipwrights were hired to build the roof of the new cathedral as they would the hull of a ship. The original adze (planed) beams of the roof are still in place.
Gothic Renovations
In 1860, Archbishop Thomas Connolly hired New York architect Patrick Keely to draw up plans to expand and renovate Saint Mary’s Cathedral. These renovations gave Saint Mary’s the neo-Gothic style we associate with the church today. Archbishop Connolly obtained permission from the British Government to quarry the granite for the façade from the Queen’s Quarry. The exterior gothic style is eclectic, with discernable influences of German, French, and English Gothic.
Highest Free-Standing Granite Spire
On September 7th, 1874 the Cross was erected one hundred and eighty nine feet above the sidewalk atop the spire. This spire is said to be the highest free-standing granite spire in North America. Today the basic exterior structure of the Basilica remains the same as it was in 1874 after the completion of renovations.
Bells
A set of eleven bells were installed in the steeple and blessed by Archbishop Michael Hannan in 1879. The largest bell weighs 1200 pounds and the smallest 200 pounds. During the Halifax explosion of 1917 some of the bells were cracked and were sent to England to be recast. They were re-installed as part of the first centenary celebration of Saint Mary’s. They honour those from the Cathedral Parish who served during World War I.
From the Diocese of Halifax-Yarmouth</div