Canadian Churches: An Architectural History (review)

While I visited the mother church of the Grey Sisters in Montreal some years ago, a heavily pregnant teenager left the building, arms full of practical supplies for the coming baby. These Grey Sisters, devoted to serving the sick and overlooked members of society, remained an active force in Quebec. Their building was more than an artifact. The authors of Canadian Churches argue a similar point – that Christianity remains a living and still-evolving presence in Canadian society, and that Christian churches in Canada are more than historical artifacts.

Peter and Douglas Richardson, brothers and professors emeriti of the University of Toronto in the Department for the Study of Religion and the Department of Fine Art respectively, are the authors of this hefty, lavishly illustrated, and thoroughly documented book. Employing a geographical and chronological system of organization spanning east to west then north, they discuss a wide range of churches from many different denominations, offering besides a glossary and an extensive bibliography. The authors' voices merge in the text, resulting in a seamless, quite readable narrative. Epigraphs from a variety of writers enrich the text. A concluding chapter titled 'Changes' discusses the ways that church architecture has evolved over the centuries, reflecting on recent developments in Canadian churches, including so-called mega-churches. Excellent photographs by John de Visser provide visual balance to the text.

As the authors note in their introduction, because of historic settlement trends, the sheer bulk of church architecture in this country has been built in Atlantic and Central Canada and Quebec. Mindful of this consideration, the authors achieve an admirable balance in geographical and denominational variety. Succinctly summarizing current writings on each building, and offering relevant social and historical context, the authors offer balanced, well-reasoned assessments of each church they discuss. Many of the discussions of individual buildings read like focused mini-essays. Newcomers to the subject will be surprised and impressed at the breadth and variety of Canadian church architecture; even experts in the field will likely find some examples with which they were not familiar. Examples that particularly interested me included the Moravian Brethren and their mission in Labrador; the recent ecumenical l'Arche Dayspring Chapel in Richmond Hill, ON; and older churches adapted for new use, such as Toronto's Metropolitan Church, known as the 'diversity church.' The authors also discuss notable monastic churches, such as the Abbaye de Saint-Benoît-du-Lac in Quebec. References to larger developments are deftly introduced, such as when the authors refer to St Boniface Cathedral as the 'Coventry Cathedral of Canada.' In both instances historical ruins are incorporated in the new church.

Omissions? I was surprised not to see St Stephen's Anglican in Saanich (near Victoria), built in 1862, the oldest continually used church in British Columbia. Another omission I regret: the Cathedral of St Peter's in Muenster, SK (1909–10), famous for life-size paintings by Count Berthold John Von Imhoff (1868–1939), a German immigrant to St. Walburg, SK, who made decorating the province's churches of all denominations his life work. Nor do the authors discuss the neighbouring Benedictine abbey church of St Peter's, designed by Étienne Gaboury (1930–), although they do discuss his earlier church of the Église du Précieux-Sang in Saint Boniface.

The final chapter lacks integration because in it the authors set two incompatible goals. The first half of this chapter offers a survey of church architecture throughout the ages, mainly in the Holy Land and in Europe, demonstrating that church architecture has evolved over the centuries and continues to do so. The latter half of the chapter offers a stimulating but brief survey of the most recent trends in Canadian churches. The historical information might have been better if relocated, and the discussion of recent trends expanded.

This book conveys a sense of the passion and commitment of Canadian Christians devoted to constructing meaningful architectural testimonies to their faith. This book...