St. Paul's Episcapalian Church

St. Paul's Church was established in 1749 by decree of King George II. and the church building opened in September of 1750.
Halifax was a destination for Loyalists (Traitors as they were called by the New Englanders in the Colonies). Many of those who didn't side with the colonists to secede from England sailed to Canada and landed in Halifax. This would be one of several Protestant churches established by the growing population.

The stained glass windows are centuries old. On the outside they are protected and insulated by clear windows.

During WW I, Halifax was a busy port. In December of 1917, the French munitions ship Mont-Blanc was in the harbor waiting to join a convoy back to Europe. She did not have her red flag raised indicating what she was carrying. On the morning of 6th, the Belgian ship IMO was sailing out of the harbor towards open sea. The IMO ran into the Mont Blanc, starting a fire on the Mont-Blanc. The fire grew and eventually caused the explosion of the 20 tons of TNT that was on board. The concussion, the largest man-made explosion until Hiroshima, blew all the water out of the harbor. It also broke the upper right hand window in the photo above. People looking at it from the outside said the broken portion looked like the profile of a former pastor and chose not to repair that pane of glass. (Put your cursor on the photo and clic. It should blow up for a better view).
To continue the story, when the fire started on the Mont-Blanc, her crew, knowing exactly what was on board, boarded their lifeboats and headed for the far shore, away from town and the townspeople. The burning fire attracted many onlookers to the harbors shoreline. You can imagine what happened when the explosion occurred. 1,600 were killed instantly. The toll rose to 2,000 in the city and 11,000 were left injured. The barrel of one of her cannons was found 3 1/2 miles away, a 500 pound piece of her anchor was found 2 miles away.

This plaque is in commemoration of the 31 year old pastor who started his calling there in 1871. Unfortunately he died 4 years later in 1875. There were plaques and commemoratives to several others who have served this church over the decades.

Some stained glass and other commemoratives. Again, click on the photo for a larger image.

What a lovely, OLD sanctuary. Creaky floors, the musty smell of 'old', the elevated, see-thru ornate pulpit and the big heating system grates in the floors.
The two rows of pew seating in the center area are from the original 1750 design. The steeple was added in 1812, and the two side wings in 1868.
Their website has an astonishing fact.....over 12,000......12,000!.....Sundays have seen worshipers gather to read and hear the word of God. The signage and stuff around the church indicates to us they are still a thriving and outreaching congregation.
If you're interested, go to www.stpaulshalifax.org.
A neat, historical yet operational church building.