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All Saints Roman Catholic Church

4279 Chapel Road - Route 321, Cardigan, Prince Edward Island, C0A, Canada

Formally Recognized: 2009/02/02

View of church from its cemetery across the road; Donna Collings, 2007
View of church from its cemetery across the road
Showing west elevation; Courtesy Nora MacDonald
Showing west elevation
Marian Archway, 1954; Province of PEI, C. Stewart, 2023
Marian Archway, 1954

Other Name(s)

n/a

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1874/01/01

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2009/02/24

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

This large wooden church is built on a hill north of the Village of Cardigan. It has a large rectangular nave and gable roof. A tall entrance tower breaks the front gable and terminates in a cross. A transept with oculus windows and stick style elements is located near the back of the building. The church also features a balanced array of pointed arch Gothic windows with tracery and decorative buttresses and pilasters.

Heritage Value

The church is valued for its well preserved French Gothic style and for its contribution to the community of Cardigan.

The origins of this parish church date back to the middle of the 19th century when several missions served the Irish and Scottish Roman Catholic settlers in the vicinity of Cardigan. In the 1870s, it was determined that a new church was needed and land was acquired from both William Lewis and John Griffin.

Construction began in the Spring of 1874 and by November, the church was completed and blessed by Bishop McIntyre. It originally did not include the transept which was added later. The building retains many of its original style elements which include the segmented entrance tower with a spire rising from the middle of four triangular gables on each of the four sides of the tower. These are each topped by a small cross.

The large gable roof features eave bracketting and the transept features a Celtic style cross at the peak of each gable. A transom Gothic window is placed above the double entrance doors. Several renovations, the most recent in 1995, have been made to the building. The original sandstone foundation was replaced by a large modern basement which accommodates many church events. The interior features a rare Italian marble altar which was carved by one of the parishoners, William P. Lewis.

At the entrance to the church property is a stone Marian archway designed and built by talented stone mason and Cardigan resident James "Jimmy" Rice (d. 1956). Additional builders included John F. Rice, Irving Roche, and Harold Roche. The Marian archway was built to commemorate the Marian Year in 1954, which was declared by Pope Pius in celebration of the centenary anniversary of the dogma of immaculate conception.

Some notable people associated with the history of the church include Father John MacMillan, who wrote a two volume history of the Roman Catholic Church on PEI, while he was the resident priest from 1894 to 1916. One of the lieutenant governors of Alberta was a native of this parish. The Honourable John J. Bowlen (1876-1959) served in this office from 1950 to 1959. Former PEI Premier W. Bennett Campbell (1943-2008) was also a prominent member of the church.

Located across the road from its cemetery, this well-maintained church is a landmark in Cardigan and greatly contributes to the cultural landscape of the area.


Source: PEI Heritage Places Files, PEI Department of Fisheries, Tourism, Sport and Culture, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8
File #: 4310-20/TR16

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the church is shown in the following character-defining elements:

- the wood framed construction and wood shingled cladding
- the rectangular nave
- the gable roof with eave bracketting
- the segmented entrance tower
- the spire terminating in a cross above the tower
- the trefoil design on the cross gable section above the tower each topped with a small cross
- the decorative tower buttresses
- the transept with stick style elements in the gables which are topped by a Celtic style cross
- the decorative corner pilasters

Further contributing heritage element:

- the stone Marian archway, designed and built by James "Jimmy" Rice of Cardigan, located opposite of the main church entrance

Recognition

Jurisdiction

Prince Edward Island

Recognition Authority

Province of Prince Edward Island

Recognition Statute

Heritage Places Protection Act

Recognition Type

Registered Historic Place

Recognition Date

2009/02/02

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

n/a

Theme - Category and Type

Expressing Intellectual and Cultural Life
Philosophy and Spirituality

Function - Category and Type

Current

Historic

Religion, Ritual and Funeral
Religious Facility or Place of Worship

Architect / Designer

n/a

Builder

James

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

Source: PEI Heritage Places Files, PEI Department of Fisheries, Tourism, Sport and Culture, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8 File #: 4310-20/TR16

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

4310-20/TR16

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

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