Take Me to Church

“I never weary of great churches. It is my favorite kind of mountain scenery. Mankind was never so happily inspired as when it made a cathedral.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

The Cross in the Field

My hubby took me on a drive today to show me an old rural church. Turns out the church had already been torn down, years ago. The cross remained, placed in a field beside the old cemetery.

The Cross and Spire

Ste Anne Roman Catholic Church

A bit of a history lesson with these photos….

This beautiful spire sits atop the Roman Catholic Church in Ste Anne, Manitoba. Built in 1895 – 1898, and designed by a man named Joseph – Azarie Senecal, the church has now been designated as the Manitoba Municipal Heritage Site # 278, and stands as one of the oldest parishes in southeastern Manitoba.

The interior of the church is supposedly magnificent, with sanctuary paintings by artist Leo Mol. Disappointingly, I was not able to get inside as there was a wedding on the day I took these photos. Maybe another time….hopefully soon!

Ste Anne was home to early Metis and French settlers, some of whom are buried in the cemetery nestled along the side of the church.

Although not of Metis or French heritage myself, this is the town my maternal grandfather grew up in. I feel a special pull to the place. Not a Catholic, my Grandpa would not have attended this church. But I like to imagine him as a young boy, skipping through town on a hot, sunny day, and perhaps, pausing to gaze up at the beauty of the cross against a bright blue sky, standing in the very spot I am now.