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Draft:Trinity Anglican Church (Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia)

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Trinity Anglican Church[1] is an historic church located in Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia. Founded in 1841 as a mission of St. George's Church in Sydney, the first rector of the parish was the Rev'd William Elder.[2] The cornerstone of the present Trinity Church was laid in 1904[3] and was designed[4] by noted architect[5] William Critchlow Harris[6] in a Gothic Revival style.

Trinity Anglican Church, Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia

History

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Architectural and Artistic Value

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Trinity Church contains a large twelve-by-six foot painting by Robert Harris,[6][7] the architect's brother. Robert Harris is famous for painting the official portrait of the Fathers of Confederation.[8] Trinity is the largest of the two surviving churches in all of Canada that combine the talents of Victorian-era brothers William and Robert Harris. The other surviving church is All Souls' Chapel in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.

Trinity Church is one of William's last large ecclesiastical commissions before his death in 1913. Because of Trinity Church's position in William's canon, it previews several architectural and artistic features that appear in his design for All Saints' Cathedral in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The arch that contains the Good Shepherd altarpiece shows what the chancel arches at All Saints' Cathedral would have looked like if William's design had been selected.[9]

Good Shepherd Altarpiece

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After the church itself, Robert Harris’s Good Shepherd altarpiece is Trinity’s greatest treasure. The painting not only anchors Trinity’s sanctuary but also forges a bond between Trinity’s parishioners and centuries of earlier Christians. Images of the “ram-bearer”, a powerful symbol of sacrifice, have a long history in the ancient world. The Vatican Museum’s Good Shepherd statuette[10] is one of the earliest Christian reinterpretations of the classical theme. The altarpiece at Trinity Church is a early twentieth century Canadian reinterpretation of this same theme.

Record of Industrialization

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While Trinity Church is undeniably significant from an architectural and artistic perspective, its value as an historical artifact should not be measured on these terms alone. Trinity Church also chronicles the rise and fall of Sydney Mines, from its industrial past to its de-industrialized present. Policies put in place in the late 1800s by nascent Canadian governments promoted industrialization. These “Great Transformation” policies encouraged “capitalists from communities across Nova Scotia to transform the economic orientation of their towns.”[11] For Sydney Mines, the culmination of this investment was the Nova Scotia Steel and Coal Company’s 1901 decision to construct large coking and steel plants close to Sydney Mines’ existing coal mines. As a result, between 1901 and 1911, Sydney Mines’ population grew by almost 140%.[12]

Not surprisingly, Sydney Mines’ rapid industrialization radically changed the town’s shape and form.[11] Sydney Mines was proud of the progress it was making and trumpeted its success. “[R]apid urban growth … required many new churches, schools and hospitals, as well as a range of recreational facilities to keep pace with population growth. These aspects often became leading elements in each community’s self-promotion; a pride expressed through their participation in a wide variety of inter-urban activities such as sports leagues and other entertainments, where there was a considerable expansion of community consciousness.”[11] Trinity Church's decision to hire an architect, rather than using off-the-shelf plans from a pattern book, demonstrates the pride parishioner’s felt in being part of this thriving community. When the cornerstone of Trinity was laid on September 17th, 1904, nearly a thousand people, including dignitaries from across Cape Breton and representatives from various friendly and benefit societies attended the ceremony. The Sydney Mines band attended the ceremony in full regalia and accompanied the hymns.[3] News of the ceremony was even reported in the national newspaper of the Anglican Church.

Sydney Mines’ prosperity was not to last, however. Deindustrialization started soon after Trinity Church's foundation was laid and continued until 1975, when the last major working mine, the Princess Colliery, closed after almost a century of operation. Paradoxically, the large industrial structures, the steel and coal plants that characterized Sydney Mines’ expansion at the turn of the century, did not survive deindustrialization. This makes Trinity Church, one of the few remaining structures built during Sydney Mines’ coming of age, even more important.

Summary

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Trinity Church stands out not just as a building but as a convergence of architecture, artistry, history and culture. Its design reflects the maturation of William Critchlow Harris’s skills as an architect and a small town’s engagement with global intellectual and spiritual movements. Robert Harris’s painting associates the building with Canada’s national narrative. Built during Sydney Mines’ industrial heyday, Trinity Church is a testament to the town’s bygone prosperity. Today, as Sydney Mines navigates a post-industrial era, the building takes on new layers of meaning and relevance.

References

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  1. ^ "Parish of Sydney Mines / Baddeck | Cape Breton | Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island". www.nspeidiocese.ca. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  2. ^ "Biography – ELDER, WILLIAM (1784–1848) – Volume VII (1836–1850) – Dictionary of Canadian Biography". www.biographi.ca. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  3. ^ a b "Canadian Churchman, Dominion Churchman and Chur... - Canadiana". www.canadiana.ca. p. 584-585. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  4. ^ "Harris, William Critchlow | Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada". dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  5. ^ "Biography – HARRIS, WILLIAM CRITCHLOW – Volume XIV (1911–1920) – Dictionary of Canadian Biography". www.biographi.ca. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  6. ^ a b Sampson, Gordon. "Architect lives on in his churches on the Northside | SaltWire". www.saltwire.com. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  7. ^ "Robert Harris". National Gallery of Canada.
  8. ^ "Biography – HARRIS, ROBERT – Volume XIV (1911–1920) – Dictionary of Canadian Biography". www.biographi.ca. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  9. ^ "Dreams of Darkness and Light: The Gothic Legacy of William Critchlow Harris" (PDF). The Griffin: A Quarterly Publication of Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia. 49 (1): 12–15.
  10. ^ "Statuette of the Good Shepherd".
  11. ^ a b c Muise, D.A. (1991). "The Great Transformation": Changing the Urban Face of Nova Scotia, 1871-1921". Nova Scotia Historical Review. 11 (2): 1–42.
  12. ^ "Canada Year Book 1942". 31 March 2008.
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Trinity Anglican Church Facebook

Parish of Sydney Mines and Baddeck - Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island

Trinity Anglican Church 2023 Community Event - Celtic Colors International Festival

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