540 St. George Street

540 St. George Street, Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, B0S 1A0, Canada

Other Name(s)
St. Louis Roman Catholic Church

Links and Documents

Construction Date(s)
1910

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

540 St. George, on the road to the Cape, represents the physical culmination of a long history of Roman Catholic worship in the Annapolis Basin and at Port Royal/Annapolis Royal. That alone lends the building tremendous significance. In addition, the building is architecturally noteworthy. Previously described as Romanesque Revival, it is more properly a development of the nineteenth-century neo-Classical-cum-Renaissance design tradition of the Church in Quebec province. Indeed, the historical referencing may as much as finance account for the single full (west) tower that recalls the configuration of the Basilica at Quebec City. The round arches of the nave, tower base windows and the large window above the west entrance follow Renaissance convention more than the heavier Romanesque form. The main entrance is capped by a projected pediment typical of Renaissance re-working a=of ancient Roman type. The interior of the church also has the more elegant proportion and articulation of the Renaissance, itself easier to render in the wood construction and ornamentation
The church building and internal decoration has been well-maintained since consecration in 1910.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of St. Louis Roman Catholic Church lies in both its religious – and thus social and cultural – history and its good architectural quality.

Character-defining Elements

Character-defining elements of St. Louis Roman Catholic Church relate to its neo-Renaissance styling influenced by nineteenth-century Quebec church design, and include:
-rectangular plan with asymmetrical side towers,
-gable-cum-pedimented upper section of the entrance front,
-pedimented, flat-headed main entrance door,
-round arched windows for the nav , and the main façade (at the upper level, partly replicating the triple arch ‘triumphal’ composition of the Arch of Constantine),
-eliptical domed side tower,-wood structure and decoration.
The church is generally well-maintained.

Recognition

Historical Information

Function - Category and Type

Additional Information