Provincial Registry of Heritage Property · Nova Scotia
St. Ninian's Cathedral
Antigonish, Antigonish, Nova Scotia
The record
- Designation
- Provincially registered heritage property
- Type
- church
- Year built
- 1867
- Decade built
- 1860-1869
- Notice of registration date
- 24 June 2002
- Civic address
- 121 St. Ninian Street
- Community
- Antigonish
- County
- Antigonish
- Province
- Nova Scotia
- Country
- Canada
- Coordinates
- 45.62007, -61.99355
- File number
- Prov_file_253
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, David Rumsey Map Center, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, David Rumsey Map Center, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
5 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1764 map "L'Isle Royale, Située a l'Entrée du Golphe de Saint Laurent" (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
Historical maps covering this location
- 1764 · L'Isle Royale, Située a l'Entrée du Golphe de Saint Laurent (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1878 · Pictou Co., N.S. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1879 · County of Pictou, Nova Scotia (Roe Brothers Atlas of the Maritime Provinces) (David Rumsey Map Collection, David Rumsey Map Center, Stanford Libraries)
- 1879 · Counties of Queens and Kings, Prince Edward Island (Roe Brothers Atlas of the Maritime… (David Rumsey Map Collection, David Rumsey Map Center, Stanford Libraries)
- 1901 · Eastern Half of Nova Scotia. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
The Province of Nova Scotia's Registered Heritage Properties dataset ↗
The Province's registration record
Reason for registration
the historical association of this property with the development of the Roman Catholic Church in Nova Scotia; and the building's imposing architectural design.
Character-defining elements
Character-defining elements of Saint Ninian’s Cathedral include:
- stone construction with limestone from the McAdam quarry, and sandstone used for the quoining and other trim elements is also local, from the Arsenault quarry;
- carved armorial crests of Bishop MacKinnon and Pope Pius IX on the façade on either side of the doorway;
- gable end above the main entrance incorporates a heavy shaped parapet, within which is inscribed, “Tigh Dhe”, Gaelic for House of God;
- above the central entrance are a humble cluster of shamrocks and two sprigs of thistle;
- double, eighteen paneled teak doors and transom incorporating nineteen symbols.
Character-defining elements of the Romanesque style of Saint Ninian’s Cathedral include:
- nine bay side elevation with a row of nine round-headed windows along each side accented by a row of nine small rose windows above;
- centered entrance flanked by two tall and square bell towers, with semi-circular, louvered belfry openings, finished by round domes and surmounted by octagonal lanterns, each topped with a cross;
- front façade has arched niches and carved scrollwork;
- round headed main entrance, with decorated keystone arch, side pilasters, and a Classical entablature and pediment;
- smaller entrances are similar but smaller in scale.
Nearby in the register
- Kirk Placecommercialunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.