Description of Historic Place

St. Peter’s Anglican Church sits adjacent to a cemetery, inside Forillon National Park of Canada, in the Petit-Gaspé region. It is a small wooden church with a pitched roof that has upturned eaves and a bell tower set above the main entrance. The exterior wood clad walls exhibit simple decoration with rabbeted planking and large semi-circular windows. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

St. Peter’s Anglican Church is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental value.

Historical Value
St. Peter’s Anglican Church is associated with both the establishment of the Anglican Church in Gaspé and to an important phase in the development of the community of Petit-Gaspé.

Architectural Value
St. Peter’s Anglican Church is valued for its composition of high aesthetic quality. Its domestic appearance is representative of Québec vernacular architecture with features that clearly indicate its religious function, such as its bell tower. Its interior décor, which displays an ingenious alternation between light-colored and dark-colored wooden boards, demonstrates excellent craftsmanship.

Environmental Value
St. Peter’s Anglican Church is compatible with the rural character of its nature park setting in the Petit-Gaspé area. It is a well-known landmark in the region.

Sources: St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Forillon Park, Petit Gaspé, Québec, Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office, Building Report, 91-044; St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Forillon Park, Petit Gaspé, Quebec, Heritage Character Statement, 91-044.

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of St. Peter’s Anglican Church should be respected.

Its very good aesthetic, good functional design, and excellent craftsmanship and materials, as for example:
- the orientation of the overall plan, the small scale and the rectangular massing which consists of a wood frame structure, a stone foundation, a pitched roof with upturned eaves and a bell tower with a spire surmounted by a cross incorporating a weathervane that sits on a square wooden volume;
- the exceptional wood framework in which extensive use was made of layers of wood in a manner reminiscent of ship’s carpentry;
- the various construction materials and the stained glass windows;
- the simple, classical and monochromatic exterior décor, including the white-painted
rabetted wooden planking and the large semi-circular windows, the portal on the façade and the oculus located in the gable which respectively illuminates an interior vestibule;
- the division of the interior volume into three aisles and the way the semi-circular vault reflects the arch of the large window of the apse;
- the interior Victorian architectural elements, including the varnished wood paneling, which is characterized by alternating light and dark board, and the variety in their orientation, either diagonal, vertical or herringbone, and the various mouldings as well as the square and chamfered columns of varnished wood, and the alternating colours of wood which are repeated in the pews;
- the painted wood ceiling of the side-aisles and vault, which contrast with the varnished surface and the wide wooden plank floors;
- the heating system and the lighting fixtures, which are also part of the original décor.

The manner in which the St. Peter’s Anglican Church is compatible with the present rural character of its nature park setting and is well-known in the area, as evidenced by:
- its overall scale, form, design and materials which harmonize with its nature park surroundings and the adjacent cemetery;
- its role as a gathering place for the faithful from the surrounding small communities as well as for visitors to the Forillon National Park of Canada, which makes it a regional landmark.