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The Church of St. Mary the Virgin

373 New Maryland Highway, New Maryland, New Brunswick, E3C, Canada

Formally Recognized: 1994/08/04

This image presents the cross motif displayed in the woodwork of the west gable.; PNB 2005
Cross motif
This image presents the dramatic Neo-Gothic stylistic detail of the building evident in the bargeboards and window tracery.; PNB 2005
Neo-Gothic stylistic detail
This image presents the context of the building surrounded by cemetery stones nestled in a churchyard in what still can be considered a rural community setting.; PNB 2005
Context of the church and cemetery

Other Name(s)

n/a

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1863/01/01 to 1864/01/01

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2005/04/18

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

The Church of St. Mary the Virgin is a small wooden Gothic Revival church located prominently at 373 New Maryland Highway in the Village of New Maryland.

Heritage Value

The Church of St. Mary the Virgin Provincial Historic Site is significant because of its association with the Neo-Gothic architectural programme of Anglican priest-architect Rev. Edward S. Medley and, his father, Bishop John Medley. Here the two Medleys have collaborated to render a diminutive, wooden, mid-Victorian church-building translated from more formal stone compositions in England dating back to the Middle Ages. Designed by Rev. Edward S. Medley in 1863 and completed the following year, this church was consecrated by Bishop John Medley. It serves as a noteworthy example of the more that 100 Neo-Gothic churches erected in New Brunswick during the 47 year episcopate of John Medley (1845-1892).

A wholehearted expression of the Gothic Revival in rural church-building, this church is also important because of the particular refinement of its architectural components. It exists as one of the finest Medley-inspired, Neo-Gothic, wooden churches in New Brunswick. It presents a compelling interpretation of High Victorian architectural theory transferred from England and adapted to the New Brunswick countryside. The porch-nave-chancel arrangement is an imaginative blend of architectural forms, original among New Brunswick churches.

Inspired by other much larger church buildings of the Gothic manner, St. Mary the Virgin reflects a dramatic emphasis on exterior vertical lines reaching upward along the walls of the building, ending in a distinctive bell turret. This verticality is accentuated further by board-and-batten exterior construction punctuated frequently in the architectural pattern by the characteristic pointed arch motif over windows, doorways and gables.

Surrounded by cemetery stones nestled in a churchyard, the Church of St Mary the Virgin held a central place in the life of the rural community for well over 100 years.

Source: New Brunswick Culture and Sport Secretariat, Heritage Branch, Site File # 57.

Character-Defining Elements

Character-Defining Elements of the Church of St. Mary the Virgin include:
- building context surrounded by cemetery stones nestled in a churchyard in what still can be considered a rural community setting;
- dramatic Neo-Gothic stylistic detail together with its liturgical associations with mid-nineteenth century Anglican worship;
- architectural pattern inside and out overwhelmingly articulated in the Gothic manner.

Visual interest and complexity throughout including:
- decorated Neo-Gothic designs found on bargeboards along the eves of the church;
- cross motif displayed in the woodwork of the west gable;
- Celtic cross over west gable;
- window tracery suggestive of medieval church models;
- conveyance of the Gothic Revival’s insistence on vertical lines reaching upward along the walls of the building and converging on a distinctive bell turret with trefoiled openings, which marks the separation between chancel and nave;
- plastered interior is defined by the outline of the building’s timbered frame visible throughout the nave and chancel, the effect being enhanced by the abundance of light through the relatively large stained glass windows;
- Gothic symbolism and ornamentation evident throughout the interior space in the form of quatrefoils, trefoils, pointed arches, on walls and on the liturgical furnishings;
- vertical panelled door facing south;
- cross over south gable.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

New Brunswick

Recognition Authority

Province of New Brunswick

Recognition Statute

Historic Sites Protection Act, s. 2(1)

Recognition Type

Historic Sites Protection Act – Historic

Recognition Date

1994/08/04

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

1845/01/01 to 1892/01/01

Theme - Category and Type

Building Social and Community Life
Religious Institutions
Expressing Intellectual and Cultural Life
Architecture and Design

Function - Category and Type

Current

Religion, Ritual and Funeral
Religious Facility or Place of Worship

Historic

Architect / Designer

n/a

Builder

n/a

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

New Brunswick Culture and Sport Secretariat, Heritage Branch, Site File # 57

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

57

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

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