Mount Allison University Chapel

Mount Allison University Chapel,
York Street, Sackville, N.B. 
MOUNT ALLISON UNIVERSITY CHAPEL
1965
The result of the vision and initiative of Dr. Charles Herbert Johnson, the chapel was built in 1964-65 and dedicated on 26 September 1965. Many individuals and institutions contributed to the cost. The 1,563 pipes custom-built Casavant Fréres organ was the gift of Dr. Ralph P. Bell, while the windows were a gift of his wife Marjorie Young Bell. The architect was F. Bruce Brown of the Toronto firm Brown, Brisey and Brown.The building is based on a cross-shaped floor plan with high red sandstone walls soaring to a ceiling constructed out of 1660 pieces of oak. Each wall has a stained glass window; three have abstarct designs representing “Incarnation,” “Creation,” and “Redemption, while the east windiow is in the shape of a cross. Pillars at the four corners are flanked by tall, narrow windows representing the four Gospels with traditional symbols including a winged man (Matthew), a lion (Mark), an ox (Luke) and an eagle (John). The windows were designed by Gerald E. Tooke of Toronto.

The angel and child sculpture above the font is the work of Canadian artist William McElcheran who also designed the chapel furniture.
John Leroux

in Leroux, John and Thaddeus Holownia, A Vision in Wood and Stone: The Architecture of Mount Allison University (Kentville, N.S.: Gaspereau Press, 2016), pp.160, 163.

 “Officially opened in September 1965, the Mount Allison Chapel is not only the most beautiful Modern building in New Brunswick, but one of the most architecturally inspirational as well. Its execution of detail is nothing short of immaculate, its material quality virtually flawless. From the character and colour of the local red and olive sandstone cladding to the joyous blaze of stained glass throughout the interior and the copper-clad roofing and flèche, the chapel is a marvel.”
Leroux, John and Thaddeus Holownia, A Vision in Wood and Stone: The Architecture of Mount Allison University (Kentville, N.S.: Gaspereau Press, 2016), pp.151-169.

Tantramar Heritage Trust | Historic Sites