St. Anne's Anglican Church
{{Short description|Historic church in Toronto, Ontario, Canada}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox church
| name = St. Anne's Anglican Church
| image = St Anne's Anglican, Toronto.JPG
| caption = Exterior of the church in 2009
| dedication = Saint Anne
| denomination = Anglican Church of Canada
| parish = St. Anne's, Brockton
| deanery = Parkdale
| diocese = Toronto
| province = Ontario
| rector = The Rev. Don Beyers
| curate = The Rev. Hannah Johnston
| honpriest = The Rev. Dr. Stephen Drakeford
| website = {{URL|www.saintanne.ca}}
| status =
| functional status =
| heritage designation = National Historic Site of Canada
| designated date = 1996
| architect = William Ford Howland
| architectural type =
| style = Byzantine Revival
| years built = 1907–1908
| groundbreaking =
| completed date =
}}
St. Anne's Anglican Church (also known as St. Anne's, Gladstone Avenue, St. Anne's, Brockton, or the Group of Seven Church) was a historic Anglican parish church located in the Brockton Village neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario.
Established in 1862, the building, a National Historic Site of Canada, was constructed in 1907–1908 in the Byzantine Revival style, unique for an Anglican church. The interior of the church was decorated with murals by members of the Group of Seven which dated to 1923 and Byzantine mosaics installed in the 1960s. The Group of Seven murals by J. E. H. MacDonald, Frederick Varley and Franklin Carmichael were a unique example of religious works by the circle, typically known for their landscapes.
The building, including its interior and artworks, was very largely destroyed by fire on Sunday, June 9, 2024.{{Cite web |date=June 9, 2024 |title=Historic church, artwork 'completely destroyed' in blaze: fire chief |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/toronto-fire-church-dufferin-dundas-street-west-1.7229569 |access-date=June 9, 2024 |website=CBC News}} Immediate reactions included a declared intention to rebuild.
History
The parish of St. Anne's was established in 1862 to serve the then-hamlet of Brockton, which was later annexed by Toronto in 1884. The first church building was built facing Dufferin Street on what is now the site of the parish hall, this building was expanded three times.{{cite news |last1=Crawford |first1=Trish |title=Art continues to flourish at Group of Seven-decorated St. Anne’s Church |url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/music/art-continues-to-flourish-at-group-of-seven-decorated-st-anne-s-church/article_201644ce-9d59-5827-848f-666e8f8c4964.html |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=Toronto Star |date=October 12, 2012}} The church is one of seven (formerly twelve) parishes that form the Parkdale Deanery.
By 1906, the parish had outgrown its building and its then rector, Canon Lawrence Skey, commissioned a new church. In 1907, a competition was held for designs for the new church. The competition was won by William Ford Howland, an associate at the firm of Burke & Horwood.{{cite web |title=The Ontario Heritage Trust - St. Anne's Anglican Church |url=https://www.heritagetrust.on.ca/en/properties/st-annes-anglican-church |website=Ontario Heritage Trust |accessdate=June 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622140925/https://www.heritagetrust.on.ca/en/properties/st-annes-anglican-church |archive-date=22 June 2019 |url-status=live }} The church was built in the Byzantine Revival style, unique for an Anglican church. St. Anne's is constructed of concrete and brick and has a cruciform plan with a distinctive central dome, {{convert|21|m}} in height. Other architectural features include two domed bell towers, a half-domed chancel and arched transepts. It was the only Canadian Anglican church built in the Byzantine style. The property is protected by an Ontario Heritage Trust conservation easement. The property is also a designated building under the Ontario Heritage Act and it was designated as a National Historic Site by the Government of Canada in 1996.{{cite web |title=HistoricPlaces.ca - HistoricPlaces.ca |url=https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8901 |website=www.historicplaces.ca |accessdate=22 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308200802/http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8901 |archive-date=8 March 2016 |url-status=live }}
=Group of Seven=
In 1923 Canon Lawrence Skey commissioned artwork for the interior; the project was led by J. E. H. MacDonald,{{cite web |title=ST. ANNE’S ANGLICAN CHURCH & THE GROUP OF SEVEN PAINTERS, 270 GLADSTONE AVENUE |url=https://torontosavvy.me/2016/11/24/st-annes-anglican-church-the-group-of-seven-painters-270-gladstone-avenue/ |website=torontosavvy |accessdate=22 June 2019 |language=en |date=24 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622144557/https://torontosavvy.me/2016/11/24/st-annes-anglican-church-the-group-of-seven-painters-270-gladstone-avenue/ |archive-date=22 June 2019 |url-status=live }} one of the founding members of the Group of Seven. MacDonald assembled a group of Canadian artists, which included fellow Group of Seven members Frederick Varley and Franklin Carmichael, as well as Thoreau MacDonald, Neil Mackechnie, Arthur N. Martin, S. Treviranus, H. S. Palmer and H. S. Stansfield. Together they created more than a dozen murals and large paintings. The group also included sculptors Frances Loring and Florence Wyle, who created medallions and the reliefs of the four apostles.
=Fire=
File:St. Annes fire (cropped).webp
On the morning of June 9, 2024, a fire broke out in the building at around 8:00 a.m. EDT. The four-alarm fire was knocked down by 9:30 a.m. The central dome of the church collapsed during the blaze, with no reports of injuries. {{cite web |author= |date=June 9, 2024 |title=Historic church, artwork 'completely destroyed' in blaze: fire chief |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/toronto-fire-church-dufferin-dundas-street-west-1.7229569 |access-date=June 9, 2024 |website=CBC News |publisher= |quote=}} The building and its artifacts were declared to have been "completely destroyed" by the fire.{{cite news |last1=Hussein |first1=Ilyas |date=June 9, 2024 |title=Massive blaze destroys historic St. Anne’s Church in Toronto, which had art from the Group of Seven |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/massive-blaze-destroys-historic-st-annes-church-in-toronto-which-had-art-from-the-group/article_a4b0425e-265c-11ef-af35-cbfacf8e5e55.html |access-date=June 9, 2024 |work=Toronto Star}}
Both the rector of the church, Don Beyers, and the mayor of Toronto, Olivia Chow, vowed to rebuild.{{cite news |last1=Bozikovic |first1=Alex |title=Loss of historic St. Anne’s Anglican Church in Toronto ‘catastrophe for Canadian architecture’ |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-st-annes-anglican-church-was-a-place-of-unique-significance-but-now/ |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=The Globe and Mail |date=June 9, 2024}}{{cite news |last1=Postelnyak |first1=Mariya |title=Rector of St. Anne’s says Toronto church will ‘work towards rebuilding’ from fire |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-rector-of-st-annes-says-toronto-church-will-work-towards-rebuilding/ |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=The Globe and Mail |date=June 10, 2024}}
Gallery
Painted Byzantine Style ceiling inside the dome of St. Anne's Anglican Church, Toronto.jpg | The painted Byzantine-style ceiling inside the dome
St Anne's Anglican Church (Toronto ) - Historic Sites plaque.JPG | A plaque designated St. Anne's as a national historic site
St. Anne's Church postcard 1909.jpg | A 1909 postcard of St. Anne's
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- [https://www.heritagetrust.on.ca/en/properties/st-annes-anglican-church St. Anne's Anglican Church] at the Ontario Heritage Trust website
- [http://www.lostrivers.ca/points/stannes.htm St Anne's] on Lost Rivers.
- [http://torontoplaques.com/Pages/St_Annes_Anglican_Church.html Historical plaques of St Anne's Church]
- [http://www.saintanne.ca saintanne.ca] Church Website
{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|43.65060|N|79.430667|W|display=title}}
Category:Byzantine Revival architecture in Canada
Category:Church fires in North America
Category:Burned buildings and structures in Canada
Category:City of Toronto Heritage Properties