A historic Anglican church in Nova Scotia, Canada is about to find a new home in Louisiana where it will be resurrected as a Baptist church that is needing to expand due to a growing congregation.
Rev. Canon Ken Vaughan, with the Annapolis parish of the Anglican Church confirmed today he was told by the contractor, Timberhart Woodwork, Port Williams, N.S., "that it’s going to Louisiana as a Baptist church."
All Saints Anglican Church in Granville Centre is now being disassembled and will then be trucked to Abita Springs, Louisiana where it will be rebuilt.
The All Saints Anglican Church is 200 years old, one of the oldest churches in Canada.
When the Annapolis parish incorporated in 2005 as a result of a consolidation of three parishes, it left a surplus of nine churches, reports the
Chronicle-Herald.
In an interview with the Chronicle-Herald, Mr. Vaughan said, "This is one of those churches at this end of the province where depopulation has made a number of buildings surplus. It’s happening across rural Canada to all the church communities, not just Anglican. What do you do with surplus buildings? There’s a limited number that we can financially accommodate as heritage property. We had to make some decisions about what to do with the other buildings."
Three buildings have been demolished while three were put up for sale. Two have been sold, including All Saints Anglican and one building is being kept as a heritage site.
As far as architecture is concerned, Nova Scotia's loss is certainly Louisiana's gain.
Researcher and architectural historian Peter Coffman, at Dalhousie University, Halifax, said to the Chronicle-Herald, the church, with its temple facade doorway and round-headed windows, which can be traced back to ancient Greece and Rome, is an "architectural gem".