Initially my group was going to focus on the Pioneer Square Cemetery or also known as the 'Old Burring Ground' in downtown Victoria, however, we instead chose to pay closer attention to the beautiful Christ Church Cathedral located right beside the grave yard. The cathedral is apart of the Anglican denomination and was built in a gothic style of the thirteenth century by J.C.M. Keith in 1926. It is one of Canada's largest churches with interior dimensions of 93 x 140 feet.
Located on Quadra St.
Within the church we got a tour around the cathedral and even down into the crypt. The crypt was really interesting and there were hundreds of plaques with names and dates of people who've died. These people were cremated and then placed inside a little 'cubby hole' of which the plaque was then placed upon the front. Out tour guide even showed us where her and her husband have purchased a joint 'plot' or 'cubby' where they will go once they've died.
The inside of the Cathedral. On the left side you can see some of the monument-windows.
Back upstairs, in the sanctuary, all around the walls were incredibly beautiful stain glass windows. On the left wall facing North were twelve stain glass windows that were each monuments dedicated to people of the community. As well, they were each associated to one of the twelve apostles of the Christian religion. As well each window depicts a human activity such as architecture, farming, law or engineering.
This is the outside look at all twelve windows.
For our monument project, we chose to focus on these twelve monuments. We asked ourselves how and why some people or groups would have been selected to have such significant monuments in the form of magnificent stain glass windows for everyone to see. This could be based on wealth, their impact in the community or their social role. As we further investigated each individual, we noticed that many of the people played a significant part in the growth of Victoria's economy.
"In loving memory of Edgar Crowe Baker"
For example, Edgar Crowe Baker was a founding member of the Victoria and Esquimalt Telephone Company (which is still active today!) and was an accomplish figure in the Navy. William P. Sayward created the first lumber yard in the area in 1858 which grew incredibly quickly brought trade and money into Victoria's economy. David Russel Ker was also interested in the milling industry and started the Ker Feed and Milling company which later became a part of Maple Leaf Mills.
"In loving memory of David Russel Ker"
According to the Stained Glass Association of America, stained glass during the Gothic period grew from a basic style and ornamentation into a more complex and symbolic, iconography. The windows began to contain more everyday, realistic imagery such as daily labour jobs and other ordinary activities. The Christ Church Cathedral is built in a gothic style, similar to those back in Europe. It is very likely then that this trait of common events found in stained glass windows can also be found in the Christ Church Cathedral. The twelve monumental windows are each associated with an apostle and a human activity. According to the cathedral’s history, these attributes have no direct correlation which the person or their social significance, but are chosen by random or possibly by the family's preference.
Here is the link to our Google Map:
