Église Sainte-Marie is both architectural and culturally significant church. Built between 1903-1905 by members of the local Acadian community working under master carpenter Léo Melanson, the church has a 185ft/56.4 metre steeple and is based on designs of French architect August Regneaul. The building is the third church built on the site and was built to accommodate a growing parish. Many in the community trace their roots to Acadian families who were expelled from Nova Scotia in 1755 and then returned in to the area beginning in the late 1760s. The building served as an active part of the community for more than 100 hundred years and still stands as a distinctive physical landmark.
Over the years as the numbers members of the parish diminished the ability to maintain the structure became a challenge. The last mass was held in the building in 2019 and the building has been closed since. Despite several valiant attempts to find funds to preserve the structure it’s future is unclear and the building continues to deteriorate.
To find out more about the building’s history and present visit these links:
Links about the current situation:
Église Sainte-Marie: North America’s Largest Wooden Church Faces Demolition
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/promised-10m-donation-falls-through-putting-landmark-n-s-church-in-jeopardy-again-1.6997657
Links about the history and architectural significance:
https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=5390
https://archives.novascotia.ca/communityalbums/sainte-marie/
Video and images of the building:
https://baiesaintemarie.com/en/see-and-do/historic-churches/sainte-marie-church
https://archives.novascotia.ca/communityalbums/sainte-marie/results/?Search=
