Historic churches documented for posterity
Anglican churches in this diocese are a treasure trove of history, culture and art. In an effort to accurately and professionally identify and document these valuable attributes, the Diocese of Fredericton and the Province of New Brunswick are participating in a pilot project under the National Historic Places Initiative.
Some church buildings, including Christ Church Cathedral in Fredericton, are already recognized and designated as National Historic Sites. As such, their rich and irreplaceable heritage is well documented and the structures are maintained with a careful eye toward achieving a balance between conservation of fabric and contents and function as a place of worship. Other churches have been designated provincial historic sites, but many others churches have no designation so many Anglicans are unaware of the historic, cultural and artistic riches in their own churches.
The current Historic Places Initiative partnership will profile 20 of them. Dr. Gregg Finley, a history professor and a professional with experience in writing historical documentation, has been engaged by the program to compile data and write a "Statements of Significance" for each of these churches. "The Historic Properties Committee of the Diocese had the difficult task of choosing just 20 churches from a long list deemed historically significant based on architectural merit and historical significance," says Dr. Finley. "Wayne Burley and I attempted to include churches from both urban and rural areas in different regions of the province in this list and hope further funding will eventually be available to allow more churches to be studied and written up."
Dr. Finley and Mr. Burley are both members of the Historic Properties Committee and both attend Christ Church Cathedral. Dr. Finley is the author of "On Earth As It Is In Heaven," a 1995 book on Gothic Revival Churches of Victorian New Brunswick. Mr. Burley is director of the heritage branch the Department of Wellness, Culture and Sport.
"The diocese is fortunate to be able to engage an expert of Dr. Finley's calibre," says Mr. Burley. "He has worked with our department before and prepared many Statements of Significance. It is vital to have someone who understands how important it is to record this material in a standardized way. "This exercise will increase our awareness and understanding of our historical resources. I also see this as a tool that will better enable us to make wise decisions regarding these properties in the future."
Dr. Finley will make use of a wide range of historical sources to write the Statements of Significance, the extensive holdings of the Diocesan Archives, published and manuscript resources, theses, photographs, and on-site visits. Parishes will benefit from this work through the preparation of well researched, concise statements highlighting the historical and architectural characteristics of their churches. Copies of the statements of significance will be submitted to the Heritage Branch of the Department of Wellness, Culture and Sport, the Diocesan Historic Properties Committee and the Diocesan Archives.
