Holy Cross Cemetery, Halifax

Holy Cross Cemetery Halifax
Our Lady of Sorrows Chapel

Holy Cross Cemetery is a cemetery in Halifax Nova Scotia, owned and operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth. It was constructed in 1843 under the direction of Archbishop William Walsh,[1] on land provided by local authorities.[2] Since then some 25,000 persons have been buried there, many of Irish descent, including Canada's fourth Prime Minister, Sir John Sparrow Thompson.[3]

Our Lady of Sorrows Chapel is said to have been built in one day on Aug. 31, 1843 by 2,000 volunteers,[4] although the foundation and some prefabrication had been done in advance. The chapel's modest design is described as a Nova Scotian expression of Gothic revivalism. The furnishings are sparse and modest but the altar reliefs have received national recognition, and the windows have been described as a nationally significant collection of stained glass.[2][5]

Holy Cross Cemetery served as the primary burial ground for Halifax Catholics until 1896, and although interments continued through the twentieth-century the site had fallen into disrepair by 2005.[1] The Holy Cross Cemetery Trust was established in 2006,[1] and a program of restoration and beautification by volunteers has been in progress since 2008,[6] repairing fences, the chapel,[7][4] and 1800 of the current 2500 gravemarkers.[1]

Among the more well-known families there are the Kennys of Halifax (Hon. Sir Edward Kenny, Thomas Edward Kenny, etc.) The cemetery contains war graves of nine Canadian service personnel, six of World War I and three of World War II.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Holy Cross Cemetery". Saint Mary's University. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Building a Cemetery 1843". Saint Mary's University. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  3. ↑ "Research". Holy Cross Historical Trust. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Volunteers resurrect Irish cemetery in Halifax". CBC News. Aug 12, 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  5. ↑ "http://www.smu.ca/history/holy-cross/our-lady-of-sorrows-church.html". Saint Mary's University. Retrieved 2 October 2015. External link in |title= (help)
  6. ↑ "HOLY CROSS CEMETERY WORK FINISHES FOR A SEVENTH YEAR". Holy Cross Historical Trust. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  7. ↑ "CONSERVATION". Holy Cross Historical Trust. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  8. ↑ "HALIFAX (HOLY CROSS) ROMAN CATHOLIC CEMETERY". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 2 October 2015.

External links

Coordinates: 44°38′21″N 63°34′34″W / 44.6391°N 63.5760°W / 44.6391; -63.5760


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